Jump Chain Gothic 7 - Skyrim 1 - Dawnguard
by gothicjedi666
Summary: Hello folks here is the first part of Jump Number Seven. I decided to skip ahead and write it since I knew that I could post the entire story up at the same time. Normal warnings for my story apply. Please enjoy and review.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Note**

This story is complete, its not that long compared to some of my other stuff because the Jumper didn't have an unlimited amount of time to defeat Harkon in, but it's hardly a short story.

I may do another Skyrim story that involves Morgana Pendragon and Jumper Gothic joining the College of Winterhold if there is enough interest. I'm also considering a Harry Potter Jump, again I'll write that if enough people ask for it.

Feel free to ignore this next part as I will go through the setup in this chapter with some detail. I'm keeping the short version of the setup here for my own uses, makes it easier for me to keep track of things.

**Skyrim Jump.**

Gothic

Budget - 1000cp

Age - 29

Identity - Mage (focused on conjuration)

Race - N/A

Gender - Male

Region - Skyrim

Standing Stone - Lover

Clever Craft - 1000cp

Impact - 900cp

Duel Casting - 750cp

Smith - 650cp

Black Star - 500cp

Skyforge - 300cp

Ore Vein - 100cp

Hail Companion - 50cp

Hail Companion - 0cp

**Morgana Pendragon**

Budget - 500cp

Age - 27

Identity - Mage (focused on alteration)

Race - N/A

Gender - Female

Region - Skyrim

Standing Stone - Mage

Imperial Luck - 400cp

Clever Craft - 400cp

Impact - 300cp

Knapsack - 200cp

Staff of Magnus - 0cp

**Allnel Forestwind**

Budget - 500cp

Age - 26

Identity - Thief

Race - Bosmer

Gender - Female

Region - Skyrim

Standing Stone - The Tower

Archer - 500cp

Stealth - 500cp

Leather Armour - 500cp

Steel Bow - 500cp

Steel Sword - 500cp

Steel Dagger - 500cp

Nightingale Armour - 350cp

Nightingale Blade - 150cp

Skeleton Key -0cp

**Jump Chain Gothic 7**** \- Skyrim 1 - Dawnguard**

**Part 1**

**Cosmic Warehouse. **

Once the rest of my companions were safely stored away in stasis, and while my Terminator, Cameron, went through her software update, Morgana and I began to use the warehouses's terminal to properly set up the next Jump.

It had always been our intention to visit another magical world, and I'd settled on the world of Elder Scrolls sometime ago, both because its impressive magic and due to its many interesting artefacts that I would like to collect.

However the main reason as to why I'd picked this dimension was the option to select Prophecies. These modification to the setup would allow me to control how much time I spent in the world of Elder Scrolls.

Picking the Prophecy that I had chosen meant that I could spend up to 25 years in this setting, or I could chose to end the Jump anytime after completing the Prophecy, and that was something I felt sure that I could accomplish very quickly, if I put my mind to it. Which meant that I would not have to spend an entire decade in what was a primitive world and dangerous world.

Although I could spend a quarter of a century in that universe if I chose to, which left my options open, however I highly doubted that I'd be there for more than a few months as I wanted to get to the MCU. The only reason that I wasn't going there now was that I'd decided to obtain more power before going to a universe that had Thanos and other such mighty beings living in it.

Given the sheer amount of resources and power I had at my command it would indeed be simple for me to complete the Prophecy I had chosen, which was to defeat the Vampire Lord Harkon before he could destroy all life on Nirn by blocking out the sun.

This was an idiotic plan even for a super villain as if you blocked the sunlight all the plants would die, and in time so would all the animals, then the mortal races. All the people would die either due to hunger or because they froze to death, depending on if the heat from the sun was blocked as well as the light.

Not that it mattered really as I had no intention of ever letting Harkon block out the sun. I'd played the Skyrim addon enough to know how to prevent it, and while playing the game, in a sense, I would have plenty of time to gather some cool stuff.

I intended to fill up my warehouse as much as I could during this Jump as the Jump after this would be in the MCU, unless I found another reason to delay going there. I intended to pay a lot of CP for an Asgardian Armoury extension for the Cosmic Warehouse and I wanted cool stuff to place in the armoury.

The extra space would allow me to store many dangerous weapons in a place that I could easily withdraw them from much like how some fictional characters seemed to pull items out of thin air. I could easily imagine how useful that would be.

Also it helped that my reward for completing the Star Wars Jump was more shelves inside my warehouse. Not the best reward I'd ever gotten for finishing a Jump, but at least the extra shelves would be useful as now I could move the some of the boxes of data discs, which I didn't need to access very often, to higher shelves while putting the newer stuff I intended to add as well as the stuff I needed more often, on lower shelves were they would be easier to reach.

"The reward for fulfilling the Prophecy objective is a castle that we can use as a base of operations for the rest of the Jump" I mentioned to the AI Cortana "Which if we like we can upgrade later on so you'll have something to do".

Plus Cortana could control my cloaked probes. I wouldn't be able to use satellites in the Elder Scrolls world as that universe worked very differently than others. There was no space in the sense that people understood the term, and the stars were holes in the universe. Which was bloody messed up in my view.

So I would have to use cloaked probes at high altitudes for mapping, and for beaming around, which would limit my range, but I had a Mako that I could drive around in, which would make travelling across Skyrim much faster and safer.

"Okay let's set up the Jump" I said.

Since this Jump would only require spending CP on Morgana and I it would be much simpler to set up than the last Jump had been.

Skyrim Jump.

Budget - 1000cp

"Roll 2D8" I read out "Then add 21"

I rolled a 5 and a 3 which when added to 21 = 29. Not a bad age to be. Well really it didn't matter as I could reverse ageing easily enough thanks to my time in the Stargate verse. I had access to the chemical called Dargol, which acted as a fountain of youth. It had the side effect of messing with memories, however since I could download and upload memories into a mind this wasn't an issue.

"The mage background makes the most sense since we'll be learning magic" I reasoned "It does come with some background memories, but I've always found them easy to ignore".

Morgana would likely chose the same background as me since the main point of this Jump was to obtain more magical powers.

"What school of magic have you decided upon?" my wife wondered.

I'd given this matter much thought.

"Conjuration" I told her "I can do a lot of what the other schools of magic offer with my existing powers, or with our tech. I can heal with my near-ascended abilities, mess with people's minds by using my Force Powers, or vaporise them with an energy weapon, and I can already do some spells thanks to the magical stuff I picked up from your world, but nothing like the conjuration magic that they have here".

Besides there was nothing stopping me from learning from the other schools.

"I really like the idea of getting to conjure up some weapons and being able to summon creatures to help me fight" I went on to say "Plus there's the whole soul trap thing".

Of course I would never soul trap people, that would be way worse than simply killing them as by trapping their souls and then sending them to the Soul Carin, I'd be denying them a proper afterlife. However Vampires lost their souls to Molag Bal, and his realm was basically a hell dimension, so sending them to the Soul Carin really wouldn't make things worse for the vampires, and given that they were working to end the world it made no sense to show them mercy.

"The rules say I may chose a race" I said "So that makes it optional and I have no desire to gain a new body. Not when I've spent so much time perfecting this one, not unless I really have to".

My meatsuit was the product of a lot of work. I had cybernetic implants, body mods, gene mods, midichlorians, and thanks to perks as well as training I had a healthy body. There was no sense giving myself a weaker form even if I could swap between them.

"Section 3. Region" I said next "Skyrim can be chosen freely so no trouble there".

I'd have to be there for the vampire crisis anyway even though that part of the Jump Set up didn't have any set requirements. Which did make some sense as I could have started elsewhere and then travelled to Skyrim only for the crisis to start when I arrived.

"As for Standing Stone I'll take the Lover since its the best one" I stated.

Morgana smirked at me.

"Not very manly" she commented.

That was true, but it really was the best in my case as the Lover Stone would help me to learn all skills more quickly, and I wanted to learn stuff like alchemy, blacksmithing and enchanting. I'd leave the alchemy and enchanting to Morgana for the most part, yet I felt it wise to at least learn the basics of those arts.

"I've never heard any complaints about my ability to make love" I pointed out.

That might have to do with the females in my life, at least the fully organic ones, not being able to say much at all during and right after sex.

"I don't have anyone else to compare you to" Morgana reminded me.

That was true, and hopefully it always would be so.

"Moving on we have Section Five, which is the Perks and I have so much CP to spend" I said "Let's see what goodies I shall have".

At this point when setting up a new Jump I felt a kind in a candy store. But I knew not to spend to much om Perks as there was gear that I wanted to get, and I had to pay to important Morgana as companion so that she would have CP to spend on making herself more magically powerful.

"To start with I'll take Clever Craft as it is free for a mage" I decided "Also I'll take Impact - Duel Casting. I'll come back to the Perks if I have any CP left".

It made sense to be careful as I might want to spend a lot of CP on gear, and I'd rather avoid taking any drawbacks if I could.

"To start with I'll have Knapsack..."

Morgana stopped me there.

"Why the knapsack?, do you forgot my love, we have replicators" she argued.

I had my reasons.

"Some ingredients can be used to make meals and potions" I explained "Now we can replicate any ingredient we have the pattern for, but replicated ingredients won't have the mystical properties the stuff from Skyrim will have, because Nirn is a very magically world. I could be wrong about this, but I doubt it and if I am its only a hundred CP".

That wasn't my only reasoning.

"And you need to remember that I have the only key to the warehouse, and I'll be separated from you at least some of the time" I reminded Morgana "I can't set up a replicator right away as the Dawnguard won't trust us so you'll need some supplies".

The plan was for to leave Morgana with the Dawnguard so that she could train with their other recruits and learn what she could about that world. I'd given her access to my files, and she'd have some background memories, but those were no replacement for real life experiences, so best to ease her into this setting.

Besides by staying at the base she could study anything I brought back for her, and make potions, as well as do some enchanting for me. Once she had a grasp on the locals magic, and had learned about hunting vampires, then I would consider taking her with me on quests.

Sure Morgana was immortal, and she'd respawn in the Warehouse if she did somehow die, but she could still be trapped somewhere, be taken prisoner by the vampires, or simply got lost in a world without satellite tracking.

I had my near-ascended abilities and Force Powers to call upon should I get into trouble, as well as a lot more experience than Morgana when it came to fighting. I'd even faced a vampire before now.

Of course I knew that I was being overprotective. Morgana didn't need me to coddle her. However she was an understanding wife, and let me preserve my male ego.

"I'll buy the Knapsack" Morgana declared "You spend your CP on something else".

She was correct to do it this way. Again I was being overprotective, forgetting that Morgana could take care of herself.

"Fine I'll take the Smith perk" I decided "and save me a sweetroll".

Getting back to business I made more selections such as Skyforge and Ore Vein, which were both expensive, however I loved the idea of having my own forge in the warehouse, as along with enchanting equipment, which I could easily acquire, it meant I'd be able to make my own magical items.

As for the Ore Vein while I could replicate the mundane metals, stuff like Ebony had supernatural properties that a replicator couldn't create. The Matter Furnace could, as that freaky thing had its own set of rules. Besides I was sick of feeding the Furnace a load of rubbish just to get a little of an exotic material.

Also I rather liked the idea of crafting weapons with my own hands, and then enchanting them to create something unique. Sure I could use virtual construction technology to build things with my mind and the power of technology, but that didn't prevent me from wanting my own forge.

Plus I had this rather sexy idea of having one or more of my girls strip off and be made to extract the raw ore, perhaps while chained up. It wouldn't take them very long to mine out a single vein, and it would be super hot to watch while I did my forging.

"Who else are you bringing along?" Morgana asked, once she saw that I paid for two companions to be imported "Everyone else is in stasis".

My R2 unit, which I'd brought as a sort of companion during the last Jump, beeped at me.

"No not you R2" I told the little droid "You don't need CP, and once I'm in charge of the Dawnguard you'll need to oversee the equipment I'll install, assuming we stick around. Besides I need someone to watch over Morgana while I'm out chasing vampires".

I turned back to address my flesh and blood companion.

"For this Jump I am going to do something a little different" I told her "Since I might not have time to recruit someone from this world as a companion I've decided to create myself a new companion. Our group already has brilliant science types, who are also fighters when they need to be, you and I have magical powers, so we have warriors and mages, but no sneaky thief types".

I could have planned out an assassin, but that wasn't really my style, if I wanted someone dead I'd kill them myself. As such a thief type made sense. Sure I had cloaking tech, and an AI who could override electronic security measures. However someone who could disable old style traps could be handy.

Also I got to decide what kind of relationship we would have and what kind of person they were. Since I wanted a sexually submissive, adorable looking, sneaky thief type who could act as a local guide, who also happened to be an adorable elf with knowledge of how to survive in the wild. Then that was what I'd get.

"You set yourself up for the Jump while I make my cute little elf" I said.

A bosmer sneaky thief type made sense to me, and it didn't take long to create a character who had the skills I desired as well as some good equipment. Sure she ended up with two sets of amour, but she could sell the inferior set and that would get me some of the local currency, which I could then replicate.

Also I forked out for the Skeleton Key as the Jump Chain version would be durable and while normal and electronic locks were of no concern to me, this world could have magical locks that I could fail to defeat.

Once I was done I looked over Morgana's set up. Mostly it was the same as mine. She had some nice perks Imperial Luck, Clever Craft, Impact as well as a couple of items, Knapsack, which we'd already discussed and the Staff of Magnus.

"Imperial luck?" I asked "Planning on doing some business?".

Morgana smiled in that way she did that always made me warmer inside.

"If you're going to be off having adventures I plan to make sure that we get everything we need" she told me "If we can replicate gold coins then we can just buy a lot of what we need, but I'll need to haggle and trade other items so that people don't become to curious about our wealth".

That was the kind of smart thinking I normally came up with. Clearly she had learned a little wisdom from me over the years we'd spent together.

"Nice choice" I praised "That staff could come in handy if ever came across stuff like cursed objects in the future".

I went over our choices again, and was pleased by what I saw.

"Looks like we were ready to begin" I said "Let's grab our stuff and then we can finalise the Jump Set up".

Morgana and would need to change into suitable looking armour, and to make sure that we carrying appropriate weapons. There was no sense freaking out the locals if we could help it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Reveiws.**

**kilgaxe**

Somehow I get the feeling that you liked the idea for this story.

**Jump Chain Gothic 7**** \- Skyrim 1 - Dawnguard****  
**

**Part 2 **

**Fort Dawnguard. Skyrim.**

One moment I'd been inside the Cosmic Warehouse and now I was inside the base of the Dawnguard. Morgana, Cameron, my new companion, and I were waiting to meet someone I knew, and the waiting gave me a chance to check myself over, then to look around.

To start with I opened myself up to the Force in order to get a better sense of what was going on around me, not just close by, all the life in this entire reality was connected together by the Force.

My Magical Sensitivity Perk was giving me a feeling of magic going on all over the place, hardly surprising given the world I'd come to, there were so many supernatural things going on around here, so I ignored that and focused on the Force.

It was a concern to me that the darkside seemed strong here. Not as strong as it had been back in the Star Wars galaxy before I'd started putting things right, but the balance was a bit off to put it simply. Another way to say it would be that the land was in turmoil.

This could easily be explained by the fact that there was both a dragon and a vampire crisis going on right now as well as a nasty civil war. All those deaths, all that suffering made the dark side stronger.

I might have to do more than deal with the vampires while here. The Dragonborn could handle the World-Eater, however I may have to deal with the civil war. Killing Ulfric Stormcloak and the other rebel leaders could sort the war out, or their death might make the other rebels fight harder.

It was hard to tell what the outcome of me killing the rebel leaders would actually be, and while the Force might show me a vision of that outcome I couldn't depend on it, so I'd have to trust my own judgement.

Not that this was a big issue. I'd navigated the course of the future for entire galaxies, keeping one little world from becoming even more messed up wouldn't be a challenge to someone of my experience as long as I didn't allow my overconfidence to blind me.

No single world was that important to someone like me, but since this realm did have knowledge and power I wished to exploit for my own benefit, the least I could do in return was help it out a bit.

Thinking on it, I realised that it made sense to deal with the vampires first, and then to let the Force guide me when it came to other matters, or just to use my own good judgement. Slaying Harkon and preventing the sun going out would serve life, and that meant the Force would support me in my goal.

At least in theory. Even after spending more than ten years in the Star Wars universe I didn't fully understand the Force or what it wanted for me and from me. This didn't upset me as even Yoda, who'd been a Jedi for centuries, didn't fully understand the Force.

More locally I sensed worry, and dread, yet there was a feeling of hope as well. I suspected that the arrival of so many potential recruits had at least partly lifted the spirits of the few here who'd been willing to take the fight to the vampires.

After that I inspected myself. I'd not known what sort of gear a starter mage would have. I'd wondered if I might end up in robes, however that hadn't happened. I was still wearing the set of chain mail that was made up of trinium/titanium alloy.

I also had on my life support belt, which meant that not only was I protected by an environmental shield, I also had kinetic barriers to keep me safe. These might not be much help against magic, but with the Force I should be able to dodge such attacks.

As for weapons I did have my lightsaber on my person, however that would remain hidden away in expanded pouch as even in the Star Wars galaxy they were very noticeable weapons, and right now I didn't need that kind of attention. Hence why I wasn't carrying any sort of pistol or rifle.

Caliburn, my magical sword, which could kill anything up a minor god, and also enhanced my fighting skills, was secure in a scabbard at my belt. I'd not used this sword much as it was a weapon to be respected and not soiled with the blood of minor foes, that would be less of an issue in this reality as this world was full of very dangerous and sometimes magical creatures.

As a backup weapon I had my omni-tool, which could fabricate a blade if needs be, and of course I carried a dagger, that was just common sense in a world like this. Still I felt as if I was somewhat lacking in terms of weaponry.

Not that this was much of a concern as I still had all my powers, and a few new ones. I could conjure up a sword if needs be, or even a fearsome familiar to do battle at my side. Plus I could kill people with my telekinetic powers, which was always useful talent to have in such dangerous realities.

Next I checked out my companions. I'd been expecting to see Cameron dressed as a maid, like she had been in Merlin verse, so it was somewhat of a surprise to see that she wearing leather armour and was carrying a sword. I suspected that she'd obtained from Jump Chain some of the cheapest gear in order to help her blend in.

Lucky for her I could upgrade her stuff fairly easily. Even some decent chain mail would go along way, and I highly doubted that her sword was anything other than sturdy steel. I could do so much better, and would do when given the chance.

Morgana was the same as she'd been before, her body protected the same way mine was, well not totally, she was now carrying a staff. That special magic draining one no doubt. It was a powerful weapon in its own right.

She also carried Clarent, which in mythology was King Arthur's sword of peace. It was also known as the Coward's Blade, as it was in some stories the sword Mordred stole and later used to kill King Arthur.

This version of that sword had been empowered by the fire of the white dragon, known as Aithusa, who I had helped bring into Merlin's world. I got the sense that Clarent wasn't the equal of Excalibur or Caliburn, but it was still a powerful weapon.

Allnel Forestwind, the companion I'd created, or had played a major role in the creation of at least, was dressed in her Nightingale armour and she was carrying the enchanted sword I'd armed her with. She also carried a bow with a quiver full of arrows.

When she turned and smiled at me I knew that Jump Chan had done some fine work. I'd desired an adorable looking Bosmer as a companion and guide to this world, which I didn't know everything about, and I'd been provided with what I desired.

The elf was short, but not more so than Tali, she had blond hair that was held back with a pony tail, a petite figure, red lips, and a pair of green eyes that made me think of the leaves on the trees. What little I could see of her skin was pale and clear.

She wasn't carrying the steel sword, leather armour or steel dagger I'd equipped her with during the setup, perhaps they'd been transferred to Cameron, or maybe they were in a pouch of holding, which might be a thing here. It hardly mattered as such equipment was easily created or I could buy stuff from the locals.

My R2 droid should have followed me here as well, but before starting the Jump I'd given him orders to stay in the Warehouse for now as I'd worried that his presence would freak out the locals.

Once they'd gotten to trust us a bit I'd begin to tell my fellow Dawnguard members about how powerful I really was, and what I could offer the organisation. Assuming that I had the time to get to know them. It really depended on how busy I became.

For now I wanted to look around some more, and I found that the inside of the fort was enormous, sadly it was desperate need of some renovating and cleaning, the cobwebs spanned the entire ceiling and were practically covering the walls.

Tattered banners bearing the symbol of the Dawnguard were hanging from the second and third levels, and unopened crates were scattered everywhere. It was obvious that this place had been abandoned in the past and was now being reclaimed.

I was not surprised to see a Vigilant of Stendarr enter the fortress and begin talking to a tall Redguard, presumably the Isran guy I was suppose to be talking orders from until the vampire crisis was over and done with.

While I kept my distance so as to not interrupt their conversation, I could hear everything they had to say thanks to the power of Force Listening. I'd not used this ability much, now just seemed like a good time to practice it.

"Why are you here, Tolan?" the man whom I assumed to be Isran was saying "The Vigilantes and I finished with each other a long time ago?".

From what I knew the Vigilantes of Stendarr were a militant order in the priesthood of Stendarr, the Divine of Mercy. The Divines were the gods who ruled over this world and looked out for its races. Despite a lot of crap this realm of existence hadn't become a total nightmare dimension so I guessed they were doing something right.

If I recalled correctly the Vigilantes were founded after the Oblivion Crisis as an effort to combat the Daedra, who often plagued the mortal world. The Vigilantes also tried to root out vampires, werewolves, witches, and any other creatures that preyed upon people. Hopefully they didn't go after regular magic users as that could include me and my wife, which would not end well for them.

"You know why I'm here, the Vigilantes are under attack everywhere!" the man in the robes replied "The vampires are much more dangerous than we believed".

Part of me was glad to hear this as it meant I might face some worthy foes in the near future. I wanted to take some weapons as trophies, for the Asgard Armoury I planned to have installed in my Cosmic Warehouse.

"And now you want to come running to safety with the Dawnguard, is that it?" Isran asked "I remember Carcette repeatedly telling me that Fort Dawnguard is a crumbling ruin, not worth the expense and man power to repair".

I took a moment to study this Isran person, he was a powerfully built Redguard who carried a heavy looking warhammer. Like the others already at work here, he also wore Dawnguard armour, only it was darker than what the others had on.

"Carcette is dead" the man called Tolan went on to say "The Hall of the Vigilantes is gone, they're all dead. "You were right, we were wrong, isn't that enough for you?".

Even from where I was standing I could see Isran's face go from stern to sympathetic.

"I never wanted any of this to happen" the Redguard replied "I tried to warn all of you .

There was a lot awkwardness between the two men, I didn't need Force Empathy to sense it, which was most likely why they decided to turn their attention to us newcomers rather than keep talking to each other

"So who are you?" Isran wished to know "And what do you want?"

This was not the most friendly of welcomes I'd gotten. Nor was it the coldest either.

"I hear you're looking for vampire hunters" was my answer.

While I knew that my group must look very strange to these men, despite our efforts to blend in, I was an experienced warrior. They would see that in me just as I saw it in them. Besides they didn't have the luxury of turning people away. The vampires were trying to end the world, that was most certainly an all hands on deck situation.

"You heard right" Isran replied "I'm glad word is finally starting to get around. But that means that it won't be long before the vampires start to take notice as well".

The vampires in this realm could be very organised I recalled, and some of them were clever enough to blend in with their prey, and could mind control people to an extent. This meant they could have many agents all reporting information to them

"You have any experience in fighting vampires?", Isran asked

I could tell that he was sizing me up. No doubt picturing me in Dawnguard armour while wondering how well I'd handle a crossbow.

"Just the one vampire" I admitted "but I've fought a lot of other things".

Isran seemed impressed as I informed him about some of the fights I'd been, only telling him about the battles in the Merlin verse, but it was hard to tell as this was a man who kept his feelings in check, and I didn't feel the need to use the Force to sense his true emotions.

"I can tell you're more qualified than some of the other recruits" the leader of the Dawnguard went on to say "Which is good because I need someone out in the field, taking the fight to the damn vampires, while we're getting the fort back in shape".

Isran then gestured at the Vigilant he'd clearly been closer to in times past.

"Recently Tolan told me about some cave that the Vigilantes were poking around in" I was then informed "They seemed to think it was somehow related to the recent vampire attacks".

Isran then turned to face the Vigilant

"Tolan tell him about the place" he ordered "Dimhollow, wasn't it?".

Upon further inspection I found that Tolan was a tall and slender man who had many years of life behind him and not than many ahead. Although his appearance didn't match that of the typical Nord, that didn't mean he wasn't formidable in battle even with this advancing years.

Plus as a Vigilant he might know a few handy spells, of that I was quiet sure once I sensed him as he registered to magical senses. Guess they only saw those that used what they considered to be dark magic as witches.

"Dimhollow Crypt" the old man told me "Brother Adalvald was sure that it held some long lost artefact of some kind, something very important to the vampires. We didn't listen to him anymore than we did Isran. He was at the Hall, when it was attacked..."

Isran spoke in order to cover up the fact that Tolan was having trouble speaking. I could tell that the lose of his comrades was deeply hurting Tolan. Alas while I could heal all sorts of physical damage, there were some pains I couldn't so easily mend.

"That's good enough for me" the Redguard said "All of you go and see what the vampires were looking for at this Dimhollow Crypt. With any luck, they'll still be there poking around and if they have dug up whatever it was they were looking for then you might find some clues that will tell us what got them so interested in that place".

Sounded like a plan to me.

"I'd like to leave my wife here" I told Isran "She can help you set up, the rest of us will go to this Dimhollow place".

Hopefully my new wood elf companion knew the way. Only that turned out not to be a concern as Tolan offered to be the guide.

"I'll escort you Dimhollow" he said "If there's danger you shouldn't face it alone, and perhaps I ll have a chance to avenge my fallen comrades".

While it would be useful to probe Tolan for more information I had been hoping for my group to be sent off alone as then we could use the Mako. I'd need some time in my workshop before I could fix up some probes to send out and start mapping this world.

Also I was surprised that Isran, who looked to be a sensible man, was giving total strangers such an important job. While I was pondering that Isran walked over to one of the nearby crates and took out a crossbow.

"Here, you should take one of these" he told me "Good for taking out those fiends before they get in close".

Isran walked over and gave me the weapon. It was a crossbow, but it was made out of dwarven metal I guessed rather than wood. Despite that difference it operated the same way as other crossbows, which I knew how to use thanks to my time in Merlin's world.

"Help yourself to whatever gear we've got laying around" the Redguard offered "Report back to me when you're done".

Then Isran turned around and started looking over some maps he had lying on a table, and that made it clear me that it was time to leave. As my group headed over to the crates to look for more stuff the leader of the Dawnguard spoke again.

"Oh I almost forgot" he said "Welcome to the Dawnguard".

(Line Break)

**Dimhollow Crypt. Skyrim.**

Tolan and my group had already paid a visit to the Hall of the Vigilantes, or what was left of it after the attack, and this had allowed me to see first hand what the vampires of this world were capable of doing.

It hadn't been pretty, there had been corpses all over the place. Clearly the vamps had massacred the Vigilantes in an overwhelming attack before going on to sack the place. Then at some point a fire had spread and that had finished off the Hall.

It was no wonder that Tolan had wanted revenge, alas he had never gotten it. The man looked as if he'd known he was going to die while recklessly charging into the crypt without the rest of us.

I'd only let him go because I'd known that I'd have to restrain him in order to stop him, and if he wanted to kill himself that was his business. Hopefully the vamps would capture him rather than kill him outright. That might give me the chance to save the man's stupid ass.

The entrance to Dimhollow was in the snowy north of Skyrim, up in the mountains. It was tough terrain and more rugged that I was used to. I'd spent far too much time being able to beam about while living in science fiction universes.

Thankfully I got to climb some rocky steps at the last part of the trip. Something that my feet were grateful for as my new boots, which were part of the Dawnguard armour I was wearing, were not as comfortable as what I normally wore.

While I'd swapped my advanced alloy chain mail for the Dawnguard armour I'd not compromised when it came to my other defences, and the black clothes that I wore under the armour were made form thick layers of Kull warrior material that I so often used.

"These Vigilantes don't know when to give up" I heard a voice say "I thought burning down their precious Hall and desecrating their shrine would send enough of a message".

While I was no ninja the Force could enhance many things, including stealth, so I was able to sneak closer to the sound of the voices without being detected. Cameron had no trouble sneaking about and my new wood elf companion was even quieter.

"These two are mine" I whispered.

Vampires had enhanced hearing, but that only helped if they were paying attention. Which these two soon to be piles of dust clearly were not.

"To come here alone. A fool like the rest of them" another voice said.

I couldn't see much more than two figures who were standing next to each other while talking so I decided to get closer before striking. I couldn't actually sense them very well, they were somewhat like the Yuuzhan Vong, not part of the Force, but they weren't totally absent from it like those aliens. The feeling was a strange one.

"He fought well, I'll give him that" the first voice commented.

I was now in range to fire a bolt from my new crossbow, but I had no intention of earning the title of vampire hunter just yet as the two human sized leeches were still speaking. They might say something that I wanted to overhear.

"All this talk is making me thirsty" the second voice said "Perhaps another Vigilant will wander in".

Slowly I moved a little closer, and I could sense that that Tolan was still alive. He was weak, he would need healing, but he'd not gotten his idiot self killed just yet.

"I wish the others would hurry up already" the first voice was now saying "I've got half a mind to return to the castle and tell Lord Harkon what a fool he's entrusted this mission to".

One of the vampires turned his back to me, and this made for a very tempting target so I aimed my new crossbow. The bolt struck the vamp in the back and since it was enchanted the vampire burst into flames, instantly killing the overgrown leech.

_"Forbærne Ácwele!"_

Rather than reload, as that would talk too much time, I'd just used a spell to set the other vampire on fire. I pleased to see that fire was nearly as potent on these undead blood drinkers as it was in the game.

Once the leeches were dust I reloaded and I left the cover I'd been hiding in. Then I calmly began walking further into the cave.

"Fan out" I ordered my companions "Watch my back".

First of all I healed Tolan, which took some effort as he'd been dying due to extreme blood loss, and then I put him into what was called a Jedi healing trance, a little something I'd picked up from one of my holocrons. It required a Force to put someone into the trance, but you didn't need the Force to benefit from the trance.

After that I reached into my pouch of holding and collected as much of the vampire dust as I could fit into the little bottles I was carrying inside the pouch. I'd prepared myself for this trip and I had a number of useful items in my pouch, including containers for alchemy ingredients.

If I remembered correctly vampire dust could be used to create potions of Cure Disease and Invisibly, not potions that I needed, but Morgana would have some fun figuring out the recipes for those potions.

Suddenly I heard a menacing snarl come from somewhere ahead. Without much in the way of warning, a black hound with jagged teeth and blood red eyes charged right at me. It was no normal dog, this was some sort of hellhound.

I fired the crossbow again, having reloaded by now, and the dog thing yelped as it staggered back. Next I dropped my weapon and took out my sword. Which I slashed at the demon dog when it launched itself at me. The unnatural hound died when it met my blade.

The creature hadn't come along. There was a whole pack, but this made little difference as like me Allnel Forestwind, the wood elf, as well as protector Cameron, also had crossbows and blades they could use to finish off the other hellhounds.

"Nice work" I praised.

Cameron was as stoic as ever, but Allnel smiled upon hearing my words.

"Thanks, boss" she said.

On the way here we'd not had time to talk much and we'd not been alone, as I couldn't have talked about creating Allnel, not with a warrior monk listening in, but now we had a few moments.

"Are you okay with all of this?" I asked of her.

She smiled again.

"Sure thing boss" she replied "I was made for you, just tell me what you want me to do".

While she had real emotions, I could feel them, she wasn't that different from Cameron really, having been created for my benefit. I had mixed feelings about that, but given how many asari I'd made during the last Jump it was a little too late now to worry about that sort of thing.

Once I had recovered my crossbow, and had reloaded it for the second time, I turned to face Allnel.

"You'll need a pair of these" I told her.

Cameron could see in the dark just fine, and while I had the Force to guide me it would be better if I were able to see better. With this in mind I took out of my pouch two pairs of cool looking sunglasses.

Only they were really much more than that. They provided a heads up display, HUD for short, and they could be used as night-vision googles. As an added bonus they allowed me to talk to Cortana face to face, in a sense, without her projecting a hologram.

"My AI controls them" I explained to Allnel Forestwind "She'll make sure you can see. Assuming you understand what that means".

The wood elf seemed amused.

"Boss I know everything I need to know" the elf in the Nightingale armour told me "Don't worry about I'm ready and willing to serve".

Before she put the sunglasses on she winked at me in a flirty way. I didn't need to read her mind to know what she was thinking, but we could explore the more physical parts of our relationship later on.

We moved on and down one tunnel until I found a gate which blocked my path. I lifted it with my powers. Which allowed us all to progress further into the Crypt. We then soon found ourselves in a large cavern full of coffins. I found this to be creepy.

Suddenly, the skeletons within the surrounding coffins started coming alive, or more accurately they became animate, some bursting out of the containers like a jack in a box, and my danger sense gave me barely any warning. Like the vampires these undead creatures had very little presence within the Force.

Thankfully for me and my companions, they were fragile things just like in the game, that were easily defeated by our swords. The only downside was that the noise form all the fighting had attracted the attention of another vampire.

With a minor amount of telekinetic effort I drove my blade into the bloodsucker despite her being several meters away, and then I watched as she turned to dust, the effect wasn't the same as some of the vampires I'd seen on TV, like those Blade or Buffy faced.

It wasn't as loud or as quick, also when this vampire collapsed into ashes she left her clothes behind. She didn't appear to have been carrying anything that didn't turn to ashes, and I had no reason to take her outfit so I just gathered up some of the powered remains.

Hopefully there would be stuff worth talking further inside the crypt. So far this dungeon diving adventure hadn't gotten me any real loot.

Venturing on I passed through another gate, stopping to harvest some mushrooms, and we found that we were now in what looked like a burial chamber. All the coffins were open and this implied the use of more Nercomany, which was something I was already sick of at this point. The dead shouldn't get up and walk around, it was super creepy.

I soon came across more foes. The vampires had indeed being messing with unnatural forces as there were draugr here, and unlike those the Dragonborn would encounter while looking for the Words that made up Shouts, these zombie like creatures seemed to be under the command of the vampires. This was made clear when one of the blood drinkers ordered the undead things to attack.

Without thought I sprang into action. Thanks to my Force Enhanced speed I was able to decapitate the first foe I met, which was a vampire, and I even avoid being killed by what looked to be an enchanted war-axe. Which I brought to my hand with telekinesis.

Then I had to use my super human speed again in order to avoid a draugr's magical frost attack. Cameron moved to intercept that undead creature and punished it for daring to try to harm me by trying to beat it even more dead.

Using my sword I slashed at the arm of the draugr and this arm was holding another axe, and the limb dropped to the ground. However being undead the zombie like thing wasn't bothered by having an arm removed. So I stabbed right through the thing's armour and into its lifeless heart, then I swung my new axe and decapitated the Draugr.

Then I faced the last still standing foe, a vampire who tried to use magic to drain my life force, but before it could do any real harm an arrow appeared in it's chest. Allnel Forestwind was a damn good shot, I was very glad that I'd given the archery perk.

Now that I had a moment I decided to put my sword away in its scabbard so that I could switch to my lightsaber, I also placed the crossbow, which I'd left on the ground before charging into battle, into the pouch of holding.

Then I took the time to put away the axes which had caught my eye. The one in my hand had some sort of nasty looking enchantment on it, and the other was a black metal thing that the Draugr used in the game.

Soon after that I found a filled soul gem and an arcane enchanter. Judging by the state of both the gem and the funky looking table the vampires must have brought this stuff with them.

"Shame there's no door" I said to the two female companions of mine "I'd love to have my own arcane enchanter".

Maybe I'd find one in another dungeon close to a door. I could have Cameron carry it for me, but this was one of those time when I needed her to play her role of bodyguard. I could lug it around with my mind powers, only if I lost focus it would drop and break.

"Boss, you can by one of these off any decent mage" Allnel Forestwind informed me "Few people ever bother because soul gems are so expensive and most people couldn't fill them".

Well that made sense, and it would be easier just to order the best money could buy when I got round to visiting the College of Winterhold, which would be sooner or later. No way I would leave this world without checking out that place.

"For now I'll give enchanting a go" I told my sidekicks for this adventure.

Arcane enchanters allowed a person to both disenchant items that they already had in order to learn their enchantments and to create newly enchanted items using the enchantments that the person already knew.

Knowing this made me wonder how exactly this whole enchantment thing got started if the only way to learn how to enchant something was to remove an existing enchantment. At some point in the past there must have been no enchanted items for anyone to copy.

My new memories, which involved learning about conjuration magic for the most part, told me that sigil stones, those things that somehow allowed for Oblivion Gates had been around for a long time, and that they could be used to create enchanted items.

If there were any other ways then they'd only be known to Master Enchanters who would have no desire to share their knowledge with a novice like me. Although a master at conjuration might teach me a few tricks.

To disenchant an item, all that was necessary was the item that you wished to learn the enchantment from. That was the quick way of learning an enchantment, and the knowledge of how to do it stuck in the mind I discovered. I didn't think I'd be able to forget the information.

Having destroyed the vampire's steel axe, which had been enchanted with some sort of absorb health effect I used the soul gem to place that enchantment on the zombie's axe if only to discover how such a thing could be done.

It turned out to be rather simple once you had the right knowledge, and I placed the now enchanted axe in my pouch, my intention was let Morgana have a go at this whole enchanting thing later now.

Not long after enchanting my first weapons I found myself in another large cavern, which would have been pitch black if not for the few braziers illuminating the area. Not that this mattered as I could see in the dark just fine.

There was a water fall and what looked like graves on either side of a path. It was super strange to see graves in a place like this, where I was from people were buried in cemeteries on the surface, which made it a lot easier for grieving people to visit their departed loves ones.

I had no idea why the people here had gotten into the habit of interring the dead in such hard to reach places. Then I remembered the zombies things they had in this reality and suddenly these burial methods made a lot more sense. Although cremating the dead would have been wiser.

"You're mine mortal!" a vampire bellowed.

That yell broke my trail of thought and the walking leech who dared to bother me paid with its non-life when I telekinetic threw my sword at the monster. Like before when it began turning to ash I brought the weapon back to my hand.

"What does he need us for?" I heard Allnel Forestwind ask Cameron.

Her answer made me laugh.

"Blowjobs" Cameron said.

Moving on again we soon came across two gargoyle statues that were quite eerie, though their eyes were stone it felt as if they stared into my very soul.

A few steps into this area let us know that there people here as we could hear their voices, so we all sneaked the rest of the way. All this sneaking about was proving to be easier than imagined. I half expected to find the words: your sneak skill has increased, to pass my field of vision, but they never did.

Before long I found myself on the ledge of a balcony and I peeked over the edge to see two vampires who were talking to someone who seemed to be a prisoner. Their captive had clearly been tortured, the bruises being evidence enough of this. The man was wearing but a pair of rags and was kneeling before the vampires like a dog.

"I believe you Vigilant" a vampire was saying "Now go to your beloved Stendarr".

Before the monster could kill the human I reached out and pinned the arm up in the air.

"That one is mine" I said "Kill the other vampires".

I reached into my pouch of holding and took out the black star soul gem. It was time to harvest my first soul. Hopefully this wasn't the sort of thing that would corrupt me.

Once I had the soul I'd go deeper underground and try to find that vampire chick Serena. She was bound to be around here somewhere, and she was the key to this whole mess. With that in mind I would order Cameron and Allnel Forestwind, not to harm her no matter what she did.


	3. Chapter 3

**Jump Chain Gothic 7**** \- Skyrim 1 - Dawnguard****  
**

**Part 3**

**Dimhollow Cavern. Skyrim**

"You bit me!" I yelled.

It had all happened so fast. One moment I'd been solving some puzzle, and once I'd done that some contraption, which now I knew to be a sarcophagus, had opened up, and then the vampire within the sarcophagus, had thrown herself at me with such speed that even my reflexes hadn't been enough to avoid getting myself bitten.

Thankfully Cameron had been quick on her feet and had thrown the vampire off me. If I hadn't expressly ordered her not to kill the vamp chick I was sure that Serena would be dust by now.

"You fucking bit me!" I shouted.

Sure she hadn't killed me, but she'd fed off me and it was not an erotic experience. I felt violated and used. Also I was very worried that she'd infected me with the disease they had here that turned people into vampires.

"Your blood" the vampire woman said as struggled to stand up "So much power".

I too was struggling to get up. I wanted to kill the bitch who had dared to drink my vital fluids, but I sort of needed her alive in case. Besides I was able to heal myself without too much trouble.

As for the power of my blood, I imagined that feeding off a near-ascended magic user who also had the Force could give a person quite the rush. As I fixed the minor damage done to me I recalled reading somewhere that transfusions from a Force Sensitive to a non-Force Sensitive wouldn't give them the Force, however it could give a person a boost.

"Who...who sent you here?" she then asked.

Her voice was confused rather than hostile.

"The Dawnguard" I answered.

Now that I'd had a chance to look at her I discovered that Serena was a tall, somewhat beautiful woman, or at least she would have been if she was human. Her skin was too pale, and her eyes were inhuman, but other that she was attractive enough. At least for a walking, talking, leech with fangs.

"Who are the Dawnguard?" she asked.

The Dawnguard were a group of people who would want me to kill her and I also wanted to do that, not only because she a vampire, but also because she'd bitten me.

"They are a group of vampire hunters" I answered.

Serana, I already knew her name, looked a little high, so I figured she might tell me something useful and hopefully she would still be out of it for a while. Then her expression changed and I got the sense that she was either aroused, or she was thinking of drinking me some more. Neither was appealing to me.

"Can you help me get back to my family's home" she requested "My family used to live on an island to the west of Solitude I guess they still do".

The leech seemed more composed now. I figured whatever effect my blood had on her must be wearing off. Although it seemed as if she wasn't thinking straight as if she were then might not have asked me for help given that I was someone who'd mentioned being part of a group of vampire hunters.

"By the way, my name is Serana" she then said.

I then saw something that triggered a memory.

"Is that an Elder Scroll?" I asked.

Serana turned her head to see the scroll, which was rolled up and hanging off her belt.

"Yes, it is, and it's mine" she said.

I amazed by this. A real life Elder Scroll, I was giddy at the idea of even getting to touch one.

"It's...complicated" she told me "I can't really talk about it. I'm sorry"

By now I could stand again, and I'd calmed down enough to think more clearly. I had to go through the motions and follow the plot of the game in order to have some fun, and of course there was the looting.

Sure I could build a cruise missile, and fire at Harkon's place, but that would just be too easy. I hadn't come here for a quick victory, not totally. I wanted this Jump to end in a few week, or maybe months, not in mere days and if I used a missile that would gain attention from a lot of people, such as the daedric princes, and I'd have to leave.

"So any idea how to get out of here?" I asked.

I could simply retrace my steps as it would be easy to enough to jump to the platform I'd earlier jumped down from when attacking some vamps. I could use my telekinetic powers to move the others up there. Serana might be able to fly, so that wasn't an issue.

But there might be more to this place, and back exit, hopefully with some treasure, which meant it might worth having more of a look around.

"Your guess is as good as mine" Serana said as she looked around "This place looks pretty different from when I was locked away".

Given that age of this place she must have been sealed up a very long time ago.

"Who is Skyrim's High King?" the vampire asked me.

That was not easy to answer as there wasn't actually a High King right now.

"That's a matter of debate" I told her "There are a bunch of people fighting about who gets to rule Skyrim next".

Serana rolled her eyes,

"Wonderful, a war of succession" she said somewhat sarcastically "Good to know the world didn't get boring while I was gone".

Indeed Nirn was never dull.

"Who are the contenders?" was her next question.

This time I did think about my answer.

"Well the Empire supports Elisif, who is the widow of the last High King, but there are some who support...

She interrupted me.

"The Reman Empire?" she asked.

I shook my head.

"No the Septim Empire" I corrected "Well its not really that any more not since Martin Septim died at the end of the Third age, that was about two hundred years ago".

Serena now looked very upset.

"I must have been gone longer than I thought. Definitely longer than planned" she was now saying "Please let's hurry, I need to get home so I can figure out what's happened to my family"

She raced off, either because she was eager, or because she wanted to leave me behind, and when she did two statues came alive.

"Gargoyles!" the vampire loudly informed me.

Rather than fight up close, Serana cast a lightning bolt at the first Gargoyle which stunned it, she then cast three ice-spikes that struck the gargoyle's head and abdomen, which made the creature collapse. The second creature also suffered a similar fate. Serana stunned the monster and then impaled it with magically created ice spikes.

What was more impressive than the power of the spells she used was how quickly she'd cast them. She'd destroy her enemies before either of them had gotten close to use their claws on her, and she'd made it look effortless.

"Why didn't you help me fight?" the vampire asked me.

"I wanted to see what you could do" I said "besides I didn't actually agree to help you".

Serana sighed.

"You don't need to worry about me attacking you" she assured "I only take a little blood from people when they sleep, and I never turn others into vampires. I wouldn't have fed from you if I had been so desperate when I woke up. I lost control, and for that I am sorry".

Well she was good in the game, and while she didn't register much in the Force, I did sense her good intentions.

"Okay" I said "I'll trust you".

She smiled.

"Now not to be rude" she went on to say "But you're not totally human. What are you?".

I decided to tell her as there was no point trying to trust her if she didn't trust me.

"I'm Human" I explained "I've been through some stuff, that's all".

It was more complex that as Jump Chain could be, but this was nether the time or the place to explain.

Serena nodded as if she understood, and then started to move away, so I went after her, and I instructed the others to follow. The vampire hadn't paid Cameron or Forestwind any attention yet. Clearly she understood that I was the leader of my little group.

"What is your name?" the female asked as we walked.

I decided to forgo the titles.

"You can call me Gothic" I said.

We soon went under stone arch which led to the next room. Inside there were many coffins that were positioned vertically around the room, stone steps led to the second floor and there was a tunnel beyond that. Which I figured lead even further into the crypt. However there was a gate preventing us from using that tunnel.

"There's a lever over there" I was told.

Serana pointed at the switch atop the stairs and we walked up the stone steps. Then we both stared at the lever. I could sense danger.

"I'm guessing that is going to open more than the gate" I reasoned.

Serana took up a fighting stance, which was all the answer that I needed. My companions did the same. I could have opened the gate with my powers, but I wanted to see more of what Serana could do.

"I wonder if the Draugr are as gullible as they were when I was a girl" she then said "Better let me see if I can still handle them".

Rather than reply I pulled the lever with the power of my mind and the gate immediately opened, and of course a group of undead monsters came after us. The vampire blasted them with lightening, and then she stopped attacking.

"Show me what you can do" Serena requested.

I charged at them with Caliburn in hand, I changed weapons again since I saw no reason to let Serana know I had access to technology that she couldn't even imagine. I decapitated the first Draugr with ease, but the second one had time to block so I had to disarm the monster before finishing it off with a stab to the chest.

"You fight well" Serana commented.

Her approval meant little to me, however I saw no sense in being rude.

"Thank you" I said "You're not too bad yourself".

Judging by her reaction my approval did matter somewhat to her.

"Being immortal has it's advantages" she stated "I mastered all the Destruction spells within my first century as a vampire".

Serana then cast another spell at the motionless bodies of the dead things she'd zapped earlier and this reanimated the corpses.

"I also mastered conjuration fairly quickly" she told me.

In theory I could also raise the dead, or at least make a dead body fight for me. I could actually bring the recently deceased back to life. However the Force seemed to dislike that and I got the feeling that if I did it too often I might upset the balance between life and death or something like that.

While keeping distance between myself and the less attractive looking of the walking corpses I made my down the passage and through another gate, which was thankfully open this time. We then found ourselves in yet another large cavern.

"I certainly don't remember this being here when I was locked up" Serana said.

Rather than reply I observed the area. It was a gigantic room with darkness hiding most of it, save for the area in the middle that was illuminated by torches and a fire pit. In the far corner, I could just about see a Word Wall.

Sadly there was no sound of chanting. Which meant I couldn't go and learn the word. Still I went over to the Word Wall as I was interested in seeing one up close.

"Here lies the body of Zvala" I read out "Who possess the strength to kill dragons but not stamina to kill many".

That was the most direct translation, and I saw it all in English, but I scanned the writing anyway.

Also I expected the dragon priest to wake up, but he didn't, I figured that he must remain inactive unless the Dragonborn took the Shout.

"Come on, let's get out of here" I muttered.

After passing through yet another iron gate and going down the passage, we were finally able put Dimhollow Crypt behind us. Which was nice as it hadn't been a pleasant place.

When I got outside I saw that it was late at night and the surrounding area was covered in a thick blanket of snow, the cold air hurt my lungs at little.

Serana took a few steps forward, the snow crunching under her feet, and she inhaled deeply.

"Ah, it's so good to breathe again" she said.

As far as I knew vampires didn't breathe, at least not in the sense that humans did. They didn't need oxygen at least.

"The weather is incredible" the vampire went on to say.

Well she'd been stuffed in a box for centuries so I could well imagine that getting outside was a treat.

"Solitude is north-west of here" Serana then said "It should take us a few days to get there, but I hate travelling during the day".

"Morthal is much closer" my wood elf guide told us "We could get there before dawn and take shelter".

That sounded like a plan to me. There could be in an inn, and food, maybe some Nord Mead. I wouldn't mind trying some of that.

(Line Break)

**Morthal. Skyrim. **

According to my Bosmer companion, Morthal was supposedly named after the great Nord hero Morihaus. If this was true or not she didn't know for sure. What she was certain about was the fact that town served as the capital of Hjaalmarch, although it was a fairly small, humble town of little economic or strategic importance.

In fact the only sights of any significance were an inn, the Jarl's home, and a small lumber mill. I'd seen a few primitive settlements in my time, but even by the standards of medieval Earth this place was pitiful.

Allnel Forestwind also informed me that here in the marshes, dry ground can be hard to come by. Which was partly why this town hadn't grown, there wasn't much solid dirt to build upon.

Another thing she let me know was that Morthal was often shrouded in a thick fog, and that along with the twisted trees that grow from the surrounding marsh, gave it a foreboding appearance that put off travellers. Which was why it wasn't often visited by traders.

Many people choose to steer clear of the place altogether, and if not for the fact that Serana was weak from her centuries of imprisonment, we wouldn't be stopping here either, but she needed to rest.

When I saw the place I decided that Morthal didn't look very nice. It looked downright depressing, to be honest. What didn't help was that there was an unruly mob outside the town's largest building.

"What's the Jarl gonna do about it?!" someone yelled.

Hopefully this was a protest and there wouldn't be any lynching. I'd never really bothered with this place when playing the game so I didn't know what was going on.

However I had a vague memory about this town having problems with a vampire, and I was a vampire hunter now so perhaps I should look into it. If nothing else it would give me something do while waiting for Serana to recover.

"How are we going to feel safe in our own homes?!" another person called out.

There was a person standing in front of the crowds. I saw him as he held his hands up in front of him, trying to stem the tide of harsh comments.

"Please, the Jarl has heard your concerns, and you have nothing to fear from the new visitor..."

My group stopped some distance from the crowd and I grew concerned. Apparently the locals had issues with strangers in town, that could be bad for my group as while we did hope to reach Solitude as soon as we could, we really needed some rest. Even I was getting tired.

"We won't accept wizards in our midst!" I heard a voice shout.

I figured that we were better off staying out of this mess and to take rooms at the inn.

(Line Break)

**Morthal. Skyrim. **

Inside her home Idgrod Ravencrone, the Jarl of Morthal was dreaming. The dream consisted of a large group of armed men and women, with glowing red eyes charging through Morthal and cutting down anyone who opposed them.

They ran amok, killing all of her guardsmen, and slaughtering the few brave townspeople who dared to stand against them. Idgrod couldn't do anything but watch as the invaders laid waste to the town she was suppose to watch over. The creature's seemed to ignore her, and she couldn't move. She was just a spectator in this horrible show.

Halfway through the dream, Idgrod Ravencrone came to realise that the invaders were all vampires. The magic and the fangs indicated so, and this was confirmed when saw her son Joric have his own lifeblood sucked out of his neck. She could see the terrified look on his face.

Suddenly the dream changed, and all the vampires and corpses faded away. They were replaced with the typical scene of Morthal, with people going about their daily business as if nothing at all was wrong.

Then, out from the marsh, a lone figure walked into view. He was fairly young in appearance, and he was dressed in a strange armour. He looked tired, but also happy, it seemed to the Jarl that this man had just won a fight.

He was holding something in his left hand. As he got closer, Idgrod could see from her spectator viewpoint in front of the Jarl's longhouse, that the something in his hand was a severed head.

A severed vampire's head. Idgrod Ravencrone immediately recognised it as one of the vampire's from the previous dream sequence, a particularly powerful one, if her feeling was anything to by. This was odd because vampire's turned to dust when they died so the head was symbolic of something the Jarl understood.

The stranger walked up to the longhouse, where Jarl Idgrod and her steward were waiting. Now that he was close, Idgrod could look at the man in more detail. He had dark hair, which was cut short and somewhat unkempt, but in a way that suited him.

He wasn't too tall, or short. He wasn't overly handsome or ugly, there was a certain something about him. He radiated power, he was stronger than the vampires, he could destroy them.

The man stopped a few metres from the Jarl, and smiled a weary smile. He then tossed the head at their feet, and everything faded to black.

This when Idgrod woke up. As she got dressed, the Jarl began feeling worried. When her dreams were that detailed, they were almost always visions. She felt certain that the Divines were warning her of the danger and trying to tell her that the solution to the towns troubles could also be found.

The man she'd seen in her dreams would save the town, and the Jarl felt certain that she would see him soon. There was still hope for the people of Morthal.

(Line Break)

**Morthal. Skyrim.**

After for paying for rooms at the inn, which I'd traded my enchanted axe for, so Serana and Forestwind could rest, I'd spend a few short hours meditating so that I rejuvenate myself without needing eight hours of rest like most humans did.

This wasn't something that would keep me going forever, but I could go for days without proper sleep while not harming my body or my mind. I would need to sleep at some point this week as even near-ascended humans with the Force needed proper sleep, as like everyone else we needed to dream.

While sleep was important I wanted to stay awake for two main reasons. One was that the beds of the inn were not comfortable, and may have things living in the mattresses, the other was that I had felt a disturbance in the Force.

There was something rotten in the town of Morthal, and it wasn't the food, although I did avoid that. The swamp around this settlement was reminded me of the dark side cave of Dagobah, which I had visited during my time in the Star Wars galaxy, only it wasn't focused in one area, the feeling of darkness was spread thinly over the area.

Something about this swamp made electronic communications difficult, which meant I couldn't simply call Morgana and let her know that were okay, and while we could talk to each other with telepathy thanks to use both having the right magical gene, that ability had a limited range.

Also since Morgana didn't have the Force, the best I could do right now was reach and try to give her the impression that I was okay. All I got from her was a feeling of boredom and frustration. I'd have to bring her back some stuff that was very interesting in order to make up for leaving her behind.

Cameron and I were now entering the Jarl's Longhouse, and were met with the sight of three people discussing something very serious at the far end. One of the people was Jarl Idgrod, who was sitting on her throne, another was some Imperial officer, and the other was probably the steward.

As Cameron and I approached the small group, their conversation was cut short, and they all looked at me expectantly. I got the sense that they'd known I was coming, and that the Jarl wanted to talk to me.

"I… I need to tell you something..." she said quietly "I… I had a dream about you".

Reaching out the the Force I sensed her truthfulness, she wasn't trying to trick me, and just by looking into her eyes I could tell that she was a true Seer. Morgana used to look that after a restless night when normal dreams were replaced by visions.

The life of a real Seer was not an easy one. Not only did sleep not provide the rest that humans needed, the visions also taxed the mind at the time it should be at least active. This wasn't so harmful that it killed, but it did leave Seers tired and ill looking, I was sure that some went totally mad.

I also had visions, however I wore an adder stone as did Morgana so only the most powerful of visions were granted to us, and because they were so powerful they were also much clearly than most visions.

Really I was in little danger of going mad due to this as the Force didn't grant visions that often. However the Jarl looked as if she was suffering. Alas I didn't have a spare adder stone to give to the Jarl, and while I could heal some of the damage done to her body that wouldn't make much of a difference in the long run. Perhaps I could come up with something like an adder stone.

In the Merlin TV show Morgana's sister gave her a healing bracelet that blocked out most of Morgana's visions, just like the adder stone I'd gotten for her did. Given the chance I'd consult my magical holocron, a device of my own creation, to see if during my time in the Merlin's world I'd come across anything that could help. Even a replicated dream catcher might help, and wouldn't be too much trouble to provide.

"It's more of a vision, I think" the Jarl told me "Please understand that I'm being serious. I've had these before, and I think this town needs your help".

She didn't need to worry.

"I… I believe that the town might be attacked, if you don't do something" the Jarl told me.

That might explain the unease I was feeling. I felt cold here in a way that nothing to do with Skyrim's weather, the worst of which my environmental shields would protect me from if needs be.

I had assumed that it was due to the marshlands around the town, and I was that to an extent it was, but that didn't mean that there wasn't more going on around here.

"Tell me about this vision" I requested.

The Jarl did so, and to me it seemed pretty straight forward, either I defeated a powerful vampire, one that had other vamps under their command, or this town would be destroyed. It made sense that something like this would happen.

Clearly Harkon's plan to block out the sun was part of larger world domination scheme. It would lead to the end of all life, and even if the vampires could live without blood they'd have no one to rule over, but Harkon would hardly be the first insane leader that people mindlessly followed.

"Please!" Idgrod pleaded, "just… do something, do whatever you can to find out what's wrong… please! If you don't do this… people will die".

Rushing into action would be foolish. Even if there was a nest of vampires nearby without my probes I'd have little chance of finding it. Plus it could be very dangerous to try given how little I knew about this area. I'd have to go about this carefully.

If there were vampires involved, then perhaps one of them was already in town, or had began converting people, or at the very least had an informer here. They could behind the civil unrest I'd seen earlier this morning, an attempt to weaken this settlement before an attack.

"Jarl" I was now saying "I'll look into the possibility of vampire attack. I'll need to do an proper investigation, before I act, but I do find anything hostile vampires I will destroy them".

Serana was proof that not all of the walking, talking, leeches were downright evil, and perhaps there were other vamps out there just trying to live some kind of life, so I should move carefully.

Plus I was a member of the Dawnguard, my actions reflected upon the whole organisation, an organisation I'd become the leader of judging by the reward offered by the Prophecy I'd selected.

"Thank you" said the Jarl "Thank you very much"

I'd gave the leader of this town a bow of respect, not because she was powerful leader, but she clearly cared for the people she governed, even if she was a bit batty.

"You're welcome, Jarl" I said.

With that I turned and headed into the town, Cameron following behind me. If I was going to investigate what was wrong with Morthal, the tavern would probably be a good place to start.

(Line Break)

**Morthal. Skyrim.**

"Tell me about that house fire," I requested of the woman called Jonna.

Already I had discovered that Jonna was the sister of Falion, who was a mage, and the owner of the Moorside Inn. She'd also told me that business is slow in Morthal, and not just because of how remote the town is or because of the civil war.

There were troubles in this town, and during times like these people sought out someone to blame, and when they couldn't find the real guilty party, they found someone to blame. Normally an outsider, those that didn't fit in with the group, they were also often the most vulnerable.

Her brother Falion, who I would seek out and talk to at some point during my stay in this town if I got the chance, was a conjurer, and while many who studied this school of magic, such as myself, didn't perform Necromancy, that was part of the school of conjuration. So people actually had a reason to be weary of him.

Humans often turned on the outcasts of society during trouble times because we were pack animals. It was in our DNA to look after the pack, to defend it against threats, be they external, like another pack, or internal, a traitor.

This didn't mean people were bad, it just meant that we needed to try to rise about our more primitive drives when dealing with potential or real threats. Which is why civilised peoples had law enforcement and courts to deal with criminals instead of using mob justice, which could harm more innocents than even a corrupt legal.

"It was Hroggar's house. He managed to survive totally unscathed" the innkeeper told me "and he claimed it was a hearth fire, but many people don't believe him. They think he did it himself".

Perhaps he had. People could go crazy and do bad things, but normally there was a reason behind it.

"But why would he burn down his own house, with his wife and child inside?" I wondered.

This didn't seem vampire related, although I was sure that it somehow was.

"Well" said as she Jonna lowed her voice, "he's living with Alva now, and that started the very day after the fire".

Now that was interesting. Hroggar may have fallen in love with another woman, and wanted to leave this family for her, however plenty of man managed that without murdering anyone.

"It ain't right moving in with a new love the day after your kin die so tragically" Jonna muttered

After thanking the local woman, I got up off the stool I'd been sitting on and went over to where Cameron was standing.

"We were right to come here" I said the cyborg "Now we need to search the remains of the burned down house, I'll need your help, you might find something I'd miss".

Plus I could have Cortana scan the place.

"Why are we bothering with this, Master?" Cameron wondered "There's no reward on offer, and we already have a mission".

She wasn't wrong, this wasn't really my concern, but I didn't think that I was here by chance, not if I'd appeared in a Seer's vision, larger forces could be at work. My presence here could even be the will on the Divines.

"Trust me, Cameron" I urged the cyborg "There's more going on around here than met's the eye".

Of course she followed my lead. She always did.

(Line Break)

**Morthal. Skyrim.**

While scanning I knelt down in the remains of Hroggar's house, and searched around. There was little to find. Everything other than what remained of the walls was ash, and the snow was already covering most of the ash.

It was hard to believe such damage could have started from the fire in the hearth. Sure a wooden house could burn down quickly, but wouldn't the woman and her child have time to run out of the building as the fire spread?

Also why did no one hear them scream for help and come to their aid? There was no shortage of water around here to put out the fire. Something didn't feel right, and I didn't need the Force to tell me that.

"I found a trace of metal" Cortana told me.

Her hologram pointed to the right spot and I brushed aside a pile of ash, finding a small necklace. It was silver, or at least coloured that way. It was for someone with a very small neck, a young girl.

From the chain dangled a symbol, the amulet was magical I could feel it, but not like an enchanted item. I quickly concluded that it was the symbol of the Divine Dibella, who was the goddess of beauty and women, among other things.

Not something I'd give to a child, but it could be a family heirloom, passed down from mother to daughter in the hopes that the daughter would grow to be a beautiful woman.

I then felt something that pinged my senses, both in the Force and the magical. I turned out and saw some standing in the corner of the room, it was the ghost of a little girl. The girl didn't seem to notice us, she just kept humming to herself.

"Hello there" I said.

Now the ghost noticed me.

"Hello. I'm Helgi. But Daddy says I'm not supposed to talk to strangers" the dead girl replied "Are you a stranger?"

Well yes, but saying that wouldn't help.

"My name is Gothic" I told the spirit "And you're Hroggar's daughter, a stranger wouldn't know that".

The ghost seemed to accept this logic, or at the very least she didn't vanish.

"Helgi. Do you know what happened here?" I asked "How was your house burned down?"

Helgi thought for a second, or seemed to, her expression was hard to read as she partly transparent, and I couldn't read her in the Force.

"The smoke woke me up, it was hot and I couldn't breathe. I got scared, so I hid" she told me "Then it got cold and dark. I'm not scared anymore".

By the sounds of things she may have suffocated to death before her body had been burned. Which was actually a mercy, although not much of one.

"Did you see how the fire started?" I asked.

The little girl ignored this question, and asked one of her own.

"I'm lonely, will you play with me?" she requested.

While once I'd been very good with children I'd not totally lost the talent to deal with them reasonably. However I got the feeling that this wasn't going to be as easy as it could have been. I was now wishing that I'd spent more time with Anakin Skywalker while he was growing up.

"If I do, will you tell me who started the fire?" I asked.

The girl's ghostly face brightened, as in glowed for a moment, which I guessed was a good thing.

"Let's play hide and seek. If you find me, I'll tell you" she promised "We'll have to wait for nighttime though, another person is playing too, and she can't play until then".

That didn't sound right.

"Who are you talking about?" I asked.

"I can't tell you," the little girl told me as she leaned forward in order to whisper, "she's so close, she might hear me. If you find me first, I can tell you"

Helgi's ghost began to fade.

"Wait!" I called out "I need to know..."

But it was too late, the ghost had dissipated, and this greatly worried me as it sounded as if the ghost was worried about someone knowing that she was talking to me. Which didn't make much sense as you couldn't harm a ghost, so why would Helgi fear anyone?.

Of course she might not realise that no one could harm her, and I wasn't totally sure that she couldn't be harmed, a priest might be able to exorcise her, although they were far more likely to try to get the spirit to move on naturally.

Also a Necromancer could control ghosts, I'd seen that in this game, and vampires knew about Necromancy. So maybe Helgi's spirit was in danger. I'd have to find out.

"Who were you talking to?" Cameron asked me as I stood up.

I was surprised that she had to ask.

"A ghost" I told her "Couldn't you see her?".

Cameron couldn't and according to Cortana she'd not been able to detect anything. Perhaps in this world you needed some magical talent, which everyone here had since even the dumbest orc barbarian could learn to use a few simple spells, in order to see spirits.

Interesting to think about, but I could look into later on if I had time. Right now I needed to wait until dark and then find that ghost. I didn't know about manifesting spirits, but I was sure that people didn't become ghosts for no reason or the world would be full of them. Helgi remaining in this level of existence, was the key to the mystery, and I would need her help to find out what was going on around here.


	4. Chapter 4

**Jump Chain Gothic 7**** \- Skyrim 1 - Dawnguard****  
**

**Part 4**

**Morthal. Skyrim.**

"Laelette! No it can't be!" I heard someone called out.

I turned and spotted one of the men who lived in this town. He was staring at the vampire corpse, which was rapidly turning into nothing more than dust and clothing, with a look of horror on his face.

"Did you know this woman?" I asked the native person "Who was she?".

He needed a few moments to process what he had just seen.

""I'm Thonnir, Laelette is... was my wife" he explained

Already I'd figured that it was something like that. I'd not intended to kill anyone, the ghost had led me to the vampire, or the vampire had followed the ghost. I had a feeling that the spirit of the little girl had led to me to the real killer, but I didn't have the full picture yet.

"I am so sorry, Thonnir" was all I could say.

Thonnir shook his head, he didn't seem mad at me, just upset. He was holding together very well.

"I can't believe it… she was a vampire, my Laelette was undead..." he muttered.

While this wasn't the best time or place to discuss this I really did need to know more.

"What can you tell me about your wife?" I asked.

It took some effort, however he found the ability to speak. I was greatly impressed by his inner strength.

"I thought she left to join the Stormcloaks" was what he told me "I had no idea she was..."

Understandable that he might given how people were throwing themselves into that conflict, but in this case it wasn't the war that destroyed Laelette's life.

"Did anything strange happen before she left?" Forestwind asked, "Did you notice anything weird about her behaviour?"

Thonnir shook his head,

"No… I don't think so… I..." he struggled to say. "Not wait, Before she left, or before I thought she left. She was spending time with Alva, but Laelette despised her".

He had more to say on this subject.

"The night she disappeared, she was supposed to meet with Alva" he informed my group "I was later told by her that Laelette never showed up. I never… I never even got to say goodbye".

The man choked up, and tears formed in his eyes as he looked at what remained of his partner. He'd lost his wife. If I ever lost one of my companions I'd feel just as bad, which was why that them respawning if they died was such a good thing, not that I'd needed to put that to the test.

With some effort I put those feelings. I couldn't let my emotions influence me too much, that was a danger for a Force user. I had to think about this logically, revenge for the lost could come later.

"I think they might have ended up meeting after all" I said.

Thonnir looked at me with dawning realisation.

"You think Alva is a vampire?!" he asked in shock.

I didn't think Laelette could have been a vampire for very long as she'd only started acting strangely recently and Alva did have a reason to harm Hroggar's family, as she clearly desired Hroggar for herself given how quickly they'd started living together after the fire, perhaps she wished to turn him, but Hroggar's family had been getting in the way somehow.

"It's a possibility I can't ignore" I said.

Thonnir shook his head

"No! That can't be true! Laelette must have met her fate out in the marsh" he insisted "I refuse to believe Alva had anything to do with this!".

The man shook his head again, and turned away, heading back down into the town.

"It's probably Alva," said Cameron.

"Yeah," the wood elf agreed, both with Cameron's words and my thinking "it explains the burning down of Hroggar's house. If Alva wanted him as a thrall or turn him later, she could've told Laelette to burn the house down for her so that no one would suspect her of doing it, Hroggar might not even know, she might have an alibi".

Serana might have been able to help with all this, but she didn't trust me or my companions. I figured that the only reason she hadn't run off was because the idea of going off alone into a world that had become so unfamiliar to her was too scary. But that wasn't what mattered right now.

"Let's find the house of this Alva woman and look for evidence" I decided.

(Line Break)

**Morthal. Skyrim.**

Rather than kick down the door, or have my Bosmer pick the lock, I just reached up and knocked on the door to Hroggar's new home. After a few seconds, it opened, and revealed the wary face of Hroggar.

"What do you want, stranger?" the man asked suspiciously.

I waved my hand.

"You want to invite us in" I ordered.

As I'd suspected the vampire had this man enthralled which suppressed his will to the point, that my Mind Trick worked very well.

"I want to invite you in" said Hroggar

We walked inside and Cameron closed the door behind us

"Where does Alva go during the day?" I asked to know "Where does she sleep?"

The vampire must have commanded him not to give out that bit of information so I would have to use my own mind powers once again. I suspected that he would lead us to a coffin, but until he did I couldn't be totally sure that Alva was a vampire.

She could just be using mind control, maybe even a love potion, which may exist in this world, and Laelette may have run off to join the Stormcloak only to encounter a vampire while out in the marshes.

I didn't think that was the case, but I'd learned long ago not to rush into action unless I was reasonable sure of what I was doing. If I'd been more patient during the last Jump I might not have needed to kill Jabba the Hutt, which did destabilise Tatooine. Although the disruption had been minimal since I'd filled the power vacuum.

"You will show us where Alva sleeps" I commanded.

Normally the Jedi Mind Trick was used to make suggestions that a person would be eager to follow or to encourage cooperation, but this man's willpower was gone, so I could control him more directly without having to resort to the power known as Dominate Mind, which I was loathe to use.

I didn't mind manipulating people, as everyone manipulated each other either intentional or not, but stripping someone of their free will, even for a short time just felt wrong to me. I'd still do if needs be, I'd just feel bad about it afterwards.

The vampire's thrall led us down the stairs to the basement, and opened up the door. Inside, was a fairly normal cellar layout, with barrels and other storage items. However, in the centre of the room, was a large coffin, which was currently open.

Inside the coffin, along with a pillow, was a small book. Alva's journal, and when I picked it up to read it the Thrall attacked. I assumed that he'd been ordered by his mistress to kill anyone who messed with her coffin.

However before he could strike me, Cameron grabbed the man, and slammed his head to into the wall hard enough to knock him out without killing him. Which pleased me as I didn't approve of needles deaths.

"Find something to tie him up with" I ordered "Once we kill this Alva he should return his old self".

Not that he'd welcome that once he found out that this family was dead, but I had no intention of allowing vampire to destroy this town, which looked to be their plan. It seemed as if the Jarl's dream was a very accurate prediction of what was to come very soon. In fact, it seemed like the 'attack' she'd envisioned would become reality in a matter of days. A large group of vampires intended to take over the town.

"We need to see the Jarl" I told the group "we don't have much time".

(Line Break)

**Morthal. Skyrim.**

I handed the book over, and watched as the Jarl's eyes began to express horror as she read the book. After a minute, she handed the book to her steward and looked up.

"It was all Alva" I explained "she didn't set the fire, but given that vampires can control their thralls and the vampires they turn, she might as well have started the fire, and now she intends to take the entire town, with the aid of her allies".

The Jarl nodded.

"Thanks to you, we now know the name of our true enemy, Movarth" said the Seer "He was, or rather is,, a master vampire whom I believed had been destroyed a century ago. I'll gather some able-bodied warriors to go and clear out Movarth's lair. They'll be ready to fight by tomorrow morning".

This was actually a clever move by the Jarl, her people were fracturing, and starting to turn on each other, or at least would if given time to, assuming the vampires waited that long. By sending her own people she would show them the real enemy and give them a foe to unite against. A clear outside threat had a way of bringing people together.

"You'll go with them" said the leader of this town "Only you can defeat Movarth".

Her vision had shown me holding the severed head of a vampire, perhaps this meant that only I can could defeat Movarth, the head vampire, the ones whose minions threatened the town. The rest of her vision seemed clear so the symbolism of me holding the head should be obvious as well.

"I'll lead the attack" I promised.

Aside from helping to destroy the vampires I should be able to reduce the loss of human life as well. However I would have to be careful as with witnesses I wouldn't be able to use my technology or some of my powers, but with the weight of numbers on my side I should be okay.

(Line Break)

**Movarth's Lair. Skyrim**

"This looks like it," I said, as we walked up the mouth of the cave.

There were stacked piles of stones around the entrance, and most were smeared with blood. Across the ground, was the occasional skull or assorted bone from whoever or whatever had been unfortunate to pass by this place. Clearly someone or something was marking its territory.

Behind me, some of the group began to mumble amongst themselves.

"That place looks really, dark..."

"Yeah, kind of scary too..."

"And it's supposed to be full of vampires?"

Well they were right to be nervous, this was the lair of a master vampire, and most likely it would also contain many less powerful vampires as we, and maybe some thralls, not all of which would be people. I felt fairly certain that vampires could control some animals as well with their mind powers. I could do it too using the Force Power known as Beast Control.

At times like this I wished for the Force Power called Battle meditation, which was the ability to use the Force to coordinate allies and even entire fleets of ships, allowing them to perform at maximum efficiency, acting as a single entity with the ability to counter every enemy move quickly and effectively. It could also be used to simultaneously demoralise your opponents, reducing their combat effectiveness.

Battle meditation was used to influence armies and fleets to win battles and even wars, and while ideal for meditating large-scale conflicts, battle meditation was also effective when employed for the benefit of one's comrades in small skirmishes, attacks, and duels. Meaning it would effective right now.

Alas I'd not been willing to fork out the CP for that power and it wasn't something any Force User could just learn even if they had a holocron which explained how to use it, which I did. However I lacked that talent, but since I so often used expendable security bots as a fighting force this wasn't often a problem.

Still I could try a little psychology. Not every problem I came across needed to be solved by super powers, advanced tech, or violence, sometimes mere words were enough.

"Are you really the brave men of Skyrim that I have heard so much about?" I asked the crowd "Is this really the land of heroes, the birthplace of Tiber Septim himself?".

That had their attention.

"These vampires threatened your wives, your children, your homes" I was now saying "You can't stand by and do nothing, you have to fight!".

At this point I was fairly sure that some perk I'd gotten in the past was helping with this, and I knew that it wouldn't take much more effort from me to get them into that cave.

"I'm going in there" I said next while taking out my sword and thrusting it into the air, Caliburn was an impressive looking weapon and I was sure that its mere presence was inspiring "Now whose coming with me?".

They cheered and I lead the charge, my companions and new allies right behind me.

(Line Break)

**Movarth's Lair. Skyrim**

I rolled to the right, and slashed at the massive spider as another supernatural creature decided to bite me. Caliburn, my magical blade, easily severed a leg from its horrid body.

Thonnir, the man's whose wife I'd not actually killed since technically she'd already been dead, got up behind it and brought his steel war axe down on its abdomen. The spider screeched and chittered in pain, and began to turn to face Thonnir, who was behind it.

Clearly the man held no hatred for me in his heart, and while I was protected from danger in ways he couldn't understand, he had just acted to save my life, not knowing that I was actually in control of the situation.

I returned the favour. Moving quickly I buried my sword into the horrible thing's body. The blade sunk down into the creature, and it shivered slightly before collapsing. Caliburn was more than earning its keep recently. Clearly the CP spent on this weapon had been well used.

"By Ismir," said Thonnir, "those things are a nightmare made flesh!".

Frostbite Spiders weren't particularly hard to take down, or at least the smaller ones weren't, but they were the stuff of nightmares.

"You're right about that" I said "and thanks for the help".

"I'm here to avenge my wife, and make sure no-one else in Morthal suffers the same fate" replied the Nord "But still you're welcome".

My very faint memory of this place hadn't led me to thinking that the place was that large, but in reality it proved to be a whole network of tunnels. Which made sense as if I was a Master Vampire I wouldn't want to trap myself in a confined space with a single entrance. I'd have an escape route ready.

My group had gotten divided up as the townspeople had rushed into the cave, and my Bosmer seemed to have vanished, but she was sneaky type so she might just be up to something sneaky. Cameron had remained with me and had distracted the spider for us.

"We need to keep moving" I said next.

Soon we came across a vampire. The man, if he could still be called that, had partially glowing eyes, and when he smiled at us oversized fangs were revealed. Yet for all that he still rather human, I assumed that he was little more than a vampire fledgling, only newly introduced to the undead lifestyle.

This was lucky, for as an older vampire might have dodged the swing of my sword. Before the vampire could react, I had plunged my sword into his unbeating heart. Which was fatal even though the vamp was already dead.

Unlike the vampire I'd slain in Merlin's world, these undead things did not explode when struck with Caliburn, which suggested to me that the weapon's full power was not required when slaying the vampires of this world. Perhaps they were a lot easier to kill than the vampires in other realities.

"By my ancestors!" someone yelled.

Thonnir took one look at the pile of decomposing bodies and staggered backward, dry-retching. While I was a bit more used to the sight of corpses, still I couldn't look at it for too long.

"How long have these vampires been here, attacking innocent travellers?" the local man wondered.

"All I know is that it won't be for much longer" I told him.

Thonnir went to say something, but stopped himself, before deciding on something else.

"Let's finish this" he declared.

The next chamber we found was serving as large room, and it contained a long banquet table. Sitting at this table, were four figures, and they were acting as if nothing important at all was going on.

One of them looked like a thrall, and he was holding a greatsword. I reached out with the Force, and sensed that he was in fact alive, the two others were vampires I could tell. They carried swords and axes.

The fourth figure and final figure sat at the head of the table. He was a tall man, in a strange leather armour, which had been dyed red. He carried no weapon, and looked almost bored, rather than simply calm

I knew instantly that this vampire had to be Movarth. The way he sat in the chair was just as much of a clue as what my danger senses were telling me. I'd seen thrones occupied often enough to know a ruler when I saw one.

As I'd been taught to do so long by a certain very sexy High Priestess I moved my hands in in the right way and spoke words meant to help focus my power. Fire appeared and formed into a rough sphere, which I sent at the most dangerous of the vampires.

As the ball of flame raced across the chamber Movarth who was still at the far end of the table saw it coming, and bolted to his feet, while grabbing a weapon that had remained unseen until now.

He moved very fast, noticing the attack, and grabbing his weapon all in the space of half a second. The magical fire attack destroyed the meal he'd been eating, which I was sure I wouldn't have enjoyed but did not harm to the Master Vampire.

I jumped down from the platform I'd been standing on while looking at the room, rolling as he hit the ground. As soon as I completed the roll, and looked up, I was met with the sight of a snarling vampire woman.

She lashed out with a diagonal sword blow. Caliburn moved almost on its own, deflecting her attack away from me in one motion fluid motion. My free hand came forward and blasted the vampire with the power of the Force, sending the blood drinker flying across the cavern.

"Cameron go finish her off" I ordered.

Now I could focus on the other leeches, the second vampire that was currently trading blows with Thonnir. Movarth was hanging back, leaning on his weapon, a long-bladed sword, watching the events unfurl with a smug fascination.

The Thrall was already down, Cameron had shot him with her Dawnguard crossbow, taking out the weakest enemy as quickly as possible so that we could focus on the bigger threats without needing to watch our backs.

I ran up behind the male vampire, just as he kicked Thonnir in the chest, and slashed a deep diagonal cut across the monster's back. The creature hissed in pain, then spun around extremely fast.

However it wasn't fast enough and while the first wound hadn't done enough damage the second one I inflicted certainly did. The vampire bellowed in pain as my sword removed its head.

Then I heard the voice of Movarth.

"Bravo, mortals" said the leader of this nest.

Thonnir and I turned to face the master vampire, who was still leaning on his longsword. Movarth clapped mockingly, and chuckled, as if we'd amused him with our antics.

"If I actually needed the help, I'd be sure to turn you both into thralls" said the Master Vampire "You'd be excellent additions to my little army"

An arrow raced through the air, Forestwind's work no doubt, but our enemy moved with incredible speed. He grabbed his longsword in one hand, and used it to bat away the arrow, before leaping backwards. I doubted that a mind less advanced than my own would have been able to keep track of the movements.

Then a thunderclap rang out, and a large lightning bolt flashed out from the hand of the vampire and struck Thonnir in the centre of his chest before he could react. Thonnir screamed out in pain, as he hit the floor.

He was dead. I felt him die, and that just pissed me off, but it didn't stop me from reacting cleverly.

Long ago I'd seen the warlock Merlin slow down time itself so that he could observe the Sidhe, (who keep their true form hidden to normal eyes, appearing only as a glowing sphere, by moving incredibly fast) as Aulfric of Tir-Mor spoke to them.

Merlin showed me that day how very powerful his magic really was, because he was able to slow down time all around him, including the reeds on the shores of the Lake of Avalon, the branches of the trees moved by the wind and the waves on the surface of the water.

Until now I'd never dared to try that spell, although I could theory cast it, not until now. I spoke the words and the world slowed down, my magical ring supplying the raw power required, making casting the spell far less of a drain that it otherwise would have been.

I moved normally and so did the Movarth, who seemed to notice this oddity even as my magical sword flew towards him.

He nearly dodged the blade, and would have if not for the arrow fired by Forestwind and the bolt fired by Cameron. The Master Vampire managed to avoid both of those threats, but couldn't deal with that and my sword.

However the sword did not end the foul thing's existence as it should have as the blade became trapped in his shoulder. I reacted to this quickly, as he pulled the blade out I reached for my lightsaber.

We both jumped into the air, him using his vampire's powers while I called upon the Force. Our weapons met in the air as the flow of time began to return to normal I hit the ground of the cavern.

I then watched Movarth turned to dust before my eyes in what seemed to be slow motion. It was a fantasising sight to watch. Seeing someone decompose, and turn to dust, it was as if time had actually speed up just for Movarth.

Then time returned totally to normal and the pile of dust hit the ground, leaving only what remained of the vampire's clothing behind.

(Line Break)

**Movarth's Lair. Skyrim**

Once the big bad had been defeated, and I had recovered Caliburn, we began to look for any threats we might have missed. While no one would admit it we were also looking for treasure. Perhaps a few people we even looking for prisoners. Which was what I'd ordered my companions to go do.

I found Alva in a particularly lavish section of the cave network. This underground space was outfitted like an expensive hotel room, with wardrobes, desks, and a large double bed. Alva was sitting on the bed, expectantly, as if she had anticipated my arrival.

"I heard the last fighting" she said, "and since you're alive I'm assuming Movarth is..."

"He's dead, yes" I said bluntly, "and you're next"

Alva nodded, and began stroking her chin, seemingly thoughtfully. Then a naughty smile crossed her face, and she eyed me up and down with a very interesting look upon her face.

"Well" Alva said, with a seductive smirk on her face, "before you get to all that. Why don't you enjoy the spoils of your victory?".

I only watched while the walking, talking leech got off the bad and began moving towards me. Her every movement was seductive, and it was clear to me that she intend to use her attractiveness as a defence against me.

Not for a second was I tempted. I knew that this 'woman' could never be trusted even I made her take an oath. She would kill me as soon as my guard was down, I was too much of a threat to her.

"After all," Alva was now saying as she smiled at, "you killed Movarth, which means… you're my new master".

She moved closer, and I figured that she was trying to put me under her thrall, which was a futile thing to attempt as I was not weak willed, and I had mind powers of my own.

"If you're my new master" the vampire said "then I should treat you as such, shouldn't I?"

Rather than answer her verbally I did so my lightsaber, which snapped to life and bisected her.

"Me, sleep with a vampire" I muttered "Yeah that will never happen".

(Line Break)

**Movarth's Lair. Skyrim**

Once the battle was done my human allies, those that were still alive, took some time to rest while my companions and I looted the cave.

We found a few books, Aetherium Wars 2920, vol 02, Sun's Dawn, and An Explorer's Guide to Skyrim.

Also we discovered an entire alchemy lab, which I would transport back to the nearby town so I could transfer it to the Cosmic Warehouse, when I got back I'd give the entire thing to my wife as she was most likely extremely bored by now. She would need projects to keep her busy while I was out and about.

We even got some stuff to put in potions, Bleeding Crown. Plenty of Vampire Dust. Imp Stool and Namira's Rot.

According to my Bosmer the boots of the Master Vampire I'd slain, which had remained intact, unlike the rest of his armour, were enchanted. I could feel that, but I had no idea what the enchantment was. Although it might be a speed boost given how quick the vampire had been even for such a powerful creature.

I could take the enchantment off the boots, and place it onto my own, however my Dawnguard armour was also enchanted, what those enchantments were I also didn't know, and didn't know if enchantments could be added to magical items.

That was something for Morgana to find out, and I would return these boots to her as soon as I could.

Nothing else here held any interest for me. I didn't need tables or chairs, or clothes, and none of the weapons were enchanted so I told Cameron to hand them over to my human allies as their spoils.

If there was any gold or jewels here then I couldn't find them and I no desire to spend more time here than I needed to. It was a creepy place, full of dead people, the kind that didn't move around on their own.

The sooner we got out of here and on our way to Solitude the better,

(Line Break)

**Morthal. Skyrim.**

While I had no proof that I'd slain the master vampire, and no native of this town had seen me do the deed, the leader of this settlement didn't need much convincing when I told that I had slain the big bad.

"I believe you, Gothic" the Jarl replied, before she bowed at me "we are in your debt".

Alas it wasn't all good news.

"I'm sorry to report that some of your people didn't make it" I said "Things were rather hectic when we entered the cave, and I got separated from most other people you sent into the lair with me".

Jarl Idgrod nodded solemnly.

"They will be remembered" she said to me "And you should be glad that their deaths weren't in vain".

Loses were to have been expected as I'd been leading a rabble into a battle not soldiers. I had valid reasons for using security bots in battle. They didn't get confused, or scared, and when under Cortana's direct control they were an effective fighting force.

I'd have to organise some fighting robots so that I could proper backup when I next entered a vampire's lair. Sure I wanted to do some fighting myself, but there was no sense becoming reckless when I had so much to gain by staying here.

Also while a few of the townspeople had been killed or hurt, Thonir was the only one who I would miss. I hadn't know him that well, yet I regretted his death. I'd have brought him back, I could do that if I was careful, however he had nothing to come back to, and he was likely in that warrior heaven that Nord's here went to if they were honourable warriors.

Alas his wife wouldn't be there as she'd died as a vampire, her soul would belong to The Daedric Prince Molog Bal, and there was nothing I could do about it. For all my knowledge, power and skills I was no match for a Prince of Oblivion.

Perhaps one day I would be, but that day was still along way off, and for now I needed to get on with dealing with the vampire crisis in case they went and ended the world before I could end this Jump.

"I'll be leaving for Solitude before the end of the day" I informed the Jarl.

The old woman smiled, and promised to have my reward ready before I left. This was pleasing to hear as I could do with some local currency. Once I reached Solitude I could rent a private room at a big inn and use it to enter the Cosmic Warehouse were I could replicate more money, but until then I was low on cash.

Plus once I did have access to the Cosmic Warehouse I could take some time to start sending out probes, and once Serena was home I'd use the Mako to drive back to the Dawnguard fortress which should cut the time spent returning to mere hours.

Aside from that we could shopping in Solitude, and find some cool magical stuff to put in the Warehouse. Then once back at the castle I'd show Morgana the cool magical stuff.

I had intended to visit the mage who lived in this town, in the hopes of acquiring books on magic, but I was eager to put this place behind me, besides Solitude had a court mage, and she should be able to help me.

On my way out I was stopped by the Jarl's housecarl, who seemed to want something from me.

"There is a letter, one I have had for some time now" the man told me "I think it is time it gets delivered. I cannot leave Idgrod's side, so I must stay here. Could you see that it reaches Captain Aldis in Solitude?".

He must overheard me mentioning that I was going to that city, and since I was going that way I might as well do him this favour.

"Sure" I said.

He passed me a scroll, which soon disappeared into my pouch of holding.

"Thank you. Please, do not open it. It is... private" he said.

I no desire to read other people's letters so he didn't need to worry about that.


	5. Chapter 5

**Jump Chain Gothic 7**** \- Skyrim 1 - Dawnguard**

**Part 5 **

**Solitude. Skyrim.**

It was already afternoon when my small group entered the city known as Solitude. The marketplace was packed with people and everyone was minding their own business. If anyone had been hanged here recently then they'd cut the body down by now, and I couldn't hear anyone talking about the death.

Before the women and I could head towards the nearest inn, so that we could once more get Serana out of the sun, and so that I could access the Cosmic Warehouse, one of the locals decided to speak to me.

"If you are heading to the Blue Palace, you might as well be properly dressed" someone said to me.

When I looked back, I saw a female High Elf, who was now standing behind me. High was a good word for this race as if this woman was an indication then they were a race of very tall people.

"Something wrong with my outfit?" I asked.

Looking down I realised that my armour was covered in things best not thought about. To be fair I had been on the road for days. Forestwind knew routes that were safe and quick, but Skyrim was an entire country, and therefore it wasn't as easy to get around as the video game suggested.

"I wouldn't know where to begin" said the High Elf.

Rather than carry on with that conversation I just turned around and started walking again. I had no desire to stand around while someone insulted me, and anyone who did make remarks was putting themselves at risk as I'd not eaten a proper meal in days, nor had I slept, and the Force could only sustain a person for so long. I was grumpy, hungry and tired.

"You know, this place is actually nice to live in" my Bosmer guide told me "But a lot of terrible things have happen here".

I knew some of what she meant.

"What do you mean?" Cameron asked.

Allnel Forestwind had a lot of information on local peoples and places, which was what I'd wanted to her to have when I'd created her. My Terminator's software updates gave her enough information to do her job no matter what universe we went to, but this didn't mean that there weren't gaps in her overall knowledge.

"Well there was a mad emperor, the Wolf Queen Potema, and recently the High King was murdered by the leader of the Stormcloaks. Seriously, this place has bad luck" the elf replied.

For the first time for a while the vampire spoke. Since we'd been travelling during the day, at least mostly, she'd been in a foul mood. The sun weakened her, making her tired, and I imagined that she was hungry too. Hopefully she was telling the truth about her feeding habits and would just take a little form some sleeping person this night.

"Is there anything good here?" she asked.

Personally I was hoping for decent local cuisine. I could replicate all the food I wanted, but there was little point travelling to new worlds if you didn't try what the natives had to offer. Which for me included food, drink, some culture, and the females.

"There's the Bards College" Allnel Forestwind answered.

I'd spent many hours playing Skyrim, yet never once had I ever entered that music school. Perhaps I should as when collecting information to put on data discs I didn't limit myself to science and technology, art in its many forms was important to.

"A college for barbs?" Serena said, looking puzzled, "Never had those in my day".

The adorable elf went on to explain that Solitude was the capital city of both Haafingar Hold, and all of Skyrim. Which was currently ruled by a woman known as Jarl Elisif the Fair, widow of the late High King Torygg.

Also it was the headquarters of the Imperial Legion that was stationed here in Skyrim. General Tullius commanded the Imperial army from the fortress here that was called Castle Dour. Which didn't sound at all inviting. Jarl Elisif, resided in the Blue Palace, and the Thalmor also an embassy that was somewhere hidden in the nearby mountains.

A good reason as to why the Legion was posted here had to do with the defensible nature of Solitude itself. The city was set upon a great stone arch that towered above the mouth of the Karth River.

Add to this the city was surrounded by the soaring peaks of the nearby mountains. Meaning that Solitude was a natural stronghold. Another thing worthy of note was that the city happened to be protected from attack from the west by the still-largely intact Fort Hraggstad, which overlooked the Sea of Ghosts.

Solitude was also a major shipping port and important Imperial supply line, the local geography gave its port much needed shelter from the strong winds of the Ghost Sea.

Most of the shipping in Solitude I knew to be run by the Imperial-financed East Empire Company, which I assumed was something akin to The East India Company back in my world which was an English and later British joint-stock company.

It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with Mughal India and the East Indies (Maritime Southeast Asia), and later with Qing China. The company ended up seizing control over large parts of the Indian subcontinent, parts of Southeast Asia, and it even colonised Hong Kong after a war with Qing China.

All of a sudden, an old Wood Elf man came over to me. The real version of this city was a lot larger than in the game so we'd had to pass through a big crowd in order to get to the inn, and now that we were at the door some crazy guy was blocking the way.

"Please, you have to help me!" he called out.

I had an inkling about where this could led, and I had no interest in getting involved in the affairs of a daedric prince who was pretty much an insane demon god.

"What's wrong?" Allnel Forestwind asked

The old man looked to be on the verge of tears.

"My master has left his people" we were told "and he doesn't want to return from his decade long vacation!"

I waved my hand, and used the Force Power known as Dominate Mind to make him leave me alone.

"Trust me we don't want to get involved with that guy's master" I let the group know.

We that we headed inside the inn.

(Line Break)

**Solitude. Skyrim**

Allnel Forestwind got on all fours, keeping her ass raised up, and lowered herself down until her breasts rested on either side of my cock. The warm, pliable weight of them hugged and massaged my manhood, which was indeed a very pleasant sensation.

She slid forward, caressing my cock with her breasts, and moved back and forth, rubbing it against the softness of her chest. Her skin was softer than a human woman's, and I suspected that it was very sensitive.

It wasn't long at all until the tip started of my dick began to ooze pre-cum. She bent down and licked it clean, before she began pleasuring me with her mouth. She used the tip of her tongue at first, and licked my shaft.

Before long she moved again, and she rocked her hips slowly back and forth, rubbing hers lower lips along the length of my penis and leaving a trail of wetness. She was already more than wet enough the little minx.

Her hands were now covering both her breasts, and she rubbed them up and down, lifting her breasts up, while her hands moved down, these actions elicited a few small gasps of pleasure whenever her nipples rubbed against her palms.

She moved like this for a while, pleasuring both of us. I could feel the her clitoris rubbing against me, and could hear how much it was pleasuring her, I could tell as she was letting out a series of moans.

"Okay. No more foreplay," she whispered.

I'd was giving her a chance to impress, and she took it. She reached back and I felt the grip of one of her small hands on my cock. I felt it being raised up, and then the wet sensation of the outer lips of her pussy.

There was a moment of readjusting while she leaned forward and got everything lined up, then she slowly pushed back on my cock, there was a moment of resistance where she held her lower lip in her teeth, tightly shut her eyes, then the head of my penis popped inside her, and she let out a long, slow breath of pleasure.

She was a virgin, but there was no barrier, perhaps elves didn't have that, or maybe she'd not been made with one since I'd had made her to please me, and to know how. A maidenhead would have just gotten in the way of my pleasure.

Soon tightness embraced my man meat, her pussy relaxed somewhat, allowing me to slip in an inch at a time. She slowly moved back, and angled her hips down, and the shaft of my penis was now sliding deeper into her.

Her warm and welcoming insides massaged my cock as they enveloped that part of me completely, wrapping around my shaft in a tight embrace in away that made me wonder if she'd ever let it go.

She moved back farther and her hips met mine. I looked at her and was greeted by the sight of my beautiful elf slut on top of me, fully penetrated by my cock. She let out a low _mmmmm_ and wiggled her hips slightly causing me to let out a grunt of my own and to squeeze her thighs.

Next she leaned forward until our chests almost touched and started rocking back and forth as before, now not just rubbing against me but fully impaled on my man pole. The slick, warm fuckhole massaged my cock, rubbing it up and down.

Whenever she lifted herself up, the muscles inside her tightened around my shaft, which then relaxed as she let herself fall back down.

Before long I started thrusting upwards, timing my movements to hers, but she stopped me with her hands on my waist.

"No, let me do it, Boss. I'm here to serve you" she requested.

She straightened up until she was sitting upright, straddling my waist and I could feel the muscles in her insides tighten around me. Her pace increased, and she started moving up and down.

With my free hands, I let them run up her thighs, feeling her softness. My hands found her rump and I squeezed it, before giving her ass a good hard smack which made her give me a cute "hmm!" of surprise.

She started moving faster, and began panting heavily, either from fatigue, or pleasure. Or both.

"Are you getting tired?" I asked.

To be fair we'd been very active recently, on the move a lot, and while she was a creation of Jump Chain like Cameron, she was only mortal woman.

"Yes," she gasped, barely making the words out. "but I can't stop now".

She leaned down until our chests touched, and her face was next to mine. I could smell the trees on her, mixed with other pleasant nature scents. I didn't get to sniff her for long as soon she was sitting up again.

Forestwind rocked back and forth on my cock, and as she did so, she twisted and gyrated her hips, trying out new things to see what felt good.

"Mmm, Boss, you feel so good," she told me.

Her hand was rubbing her own crotch now, and I got to watch as she pleasured herself, rubbing her clitoris with a finger as she rode me.

Since she was more relaxed and not as tight the decrease in friction would have lessened the sensation had she not been increasing her pace, and she must have been getting close to the climax of her own because I soon felt the walls of her pussy tighten around me once again.

The feeling of her rocking up and down was slowly driving me closer and closer to the brink of orgasm, too. She didn't move as fast as I did when I was on top of a female, but the view was better this way

I''m going to cum if you don't slow down" I told her.

"Yes, boss," was her response "please cum inside me.

That's all I needed. I felt (and I know she felt it to) my cock twitch, and with an involuntary thrust upward, I came deep inside her,

She kept rocking up and down on me, slowly now and rubbing herself with her finger furiously. Just after mine debated, she was wracked with the convulsions of the own orgasm.

Forestwind kept her eyes tightly shut, now gently rubbing her pussy back and forth with all her fingers while I was still inside her. Her head thrust back, she let out a long, soft cry that was neither a purr nor a moan but something in between. Her legs were shaking at this point.

A moment later she collapsed on top of me with her head on my shoulder, legs twitching. Her body rose and fell with every breath I took.

"Not bad" I heard Cameron say "But you should have talked dirty to him. He likes that".

The Bosmer couldn't reply to that piece of advice as she was too busy basking in the afterglow of getting her needy cunt nicely stuffed with man meat.

(Line Break)

**Solitude. Skyrim.**

While Serana hid from the sun I'd sent Cameron and my Bosmer off to do some shopping. This city had much to offer, but we'd have to do some work before our proper shopping trip as last night I'd had vision of my own.

It had involved a cave and some people in black doing some chanting, which was followed by the howling of a wolf. This had triggered a memory for me so I'd come to the Blue Palace in order to begin the quest that would lead to defeat of the evil Wolf Queen Potema.

The leader of this city held court most days so it was pretty easy to get into the palace and see her as long there weren't too many people around who wanted an audience. Thankfully there weren't. Despite my need to clean my armour I'd gotten here nice and early.

"My Jarl," I heard a man saying "We people of Dragon Bridge need your help. There are strange noises near the Wolfskull Cave and people are disappearing".

The leader of this town didn't need long to think of something to say.

"I will send soldiers to the Dragon Bridge" she decided "Your people will be safe. I promise".

That didn't sooth the visitor.

"But my lady," he said, "What about the cave?".

Clearly he wasn't just going to let this matter drop.

"I will send someone to investigate it" Elisif promised.

Seeing an opportunity, I stepped forward.

"I can check out the cave" I offered.

Everyone turned to look at me.

"You want to investigate Wolfskull Cave?" a man asked.

I figured that this was the Jarl's steward, Falk Firebeard, Forestwind had mentioned his name when I'd told her that I would be popping into the place.

"Well I am part of the Dawnguard" I mentioned to the room "And if there are people vanishing then it could be the work of vampires, so I'd like to help if I can".

In this case I knew it wasn't, but there was no sense mentioning the return of the Wolf-Queen and being considered crazy when the recent increase in vampire activity was a very real thing. Besides it might cause a panic, which did not serve my needs.

"The Dawnguard?" the court mage asked, "I've heard of a group that is organising in order to hunt down the vampires across Skyrim".

I smiled upon hearing that, she was a vampire, I could sense it, but she could be like Serana so I saw no need to out her.

"That's us" I told the court "There's myself and a couple of other members in this city. We're on a mission, and we just stopped by to get some supplies, but we have time to check out the cave, with your permission, Jarl".

Permission was granted.

"That's great," said the man from Dragon Bridge "I am glad someone is looking into this".

He had no idea how grateful he really should be.

(Line Break)

**Cosmic Warehouse. Outside of Reality. **

While I'd rented an entire floor of the inn so that I would privacy when accessing the warehouse I had not expected to be able to keep it hidden from Serana for very long, and I hadn't been able to.

Jump Chan had made a brief appearance in order to give the vampire a download, or maybe that should be upload, of information directly into the mind so that I didn't have to spend my time explaining Jump Chain.

I wondered if this meant that Serana was a potential companion, but I had no desire for a undead woman in my harem. That might change in the future, once we'd averted the vampire crisis, and had saved the world.

For now I would keep my distance from the vamp and focus on preventing the return of the Wolf Queen, as while her coming back might not be as world ending as what the dragons and vampires were getting up to, it would still get in the way of what I needed to do while this world.

Besides the Force didn't send visions to people for fun, it would only do that if I needed to know something very important. Also Necromancy was a perversion of life, so the Force would not want some powerful Necromancer around.

My mind was made up, and now it was just a matter of getting ready. Cameron and I were in full armour, using the suits that were modified versions of the Vanir environment suits that we'd obtain so many years ago.

While the tech had been modified and improved upon many times, until the point that the armour suits had more features than even I could remember, it still looked much the same, and it was easy to use.

Normally I didn't require this level of protection, but this time I was taking no chances. Hence why Cameron and I were also armed with disruptor rifles that could easily vaporise entire beings. Since we were fighting people who made zombies out of dead bodies it made sense to destroy all the bodies we came across, so that Necromancers couldn't use them against us.

As backup weapon I carried a Traveller particle weapon, which couldn't vaporise people, but it could do enough damage to a body so that that any zombie made from it wouldn't be much of threat even if it could move.

I also carried my lightsaber in case all else failed. It was a hybrid of magic and technology, and infused with Force energy, so it was a remarkable weapon, and should things go wrong I was sure that I would need it.

While Allnel Forestwind, knew that I was a Jumper and what that involved, she had no experience with my groups's advanced technology, as such giving her the kind of weapons and armour I was using would be damn foolish. She was far more likely to harm myself or Cameron, or even herself, than the enemy. I would attend to this problem later with implanted memories and training.

During the coming mission she would use her stealth skills to remain hidden during the attack, and to guard our rear. She was a good archer, however I got the sense from my vision that we'd need more than bows and swords to deal with this menace.

"Don't forget your spare power packs" Cameron reminded me.

Vaporising a human sized target used up a lot of energy, in fact it takes around three gigajoules to entirely vaporise a person using an energy weapon, that was enough to power completely melt 5,000 pounds of steel, so extra power packs were a must.

Forestwind had also changed some of her equipment. She had a quiver full of new and deadly looking arrows, as well as a dwarven made bow, which had been expensive.

The method of producing Dwarven metal was known only to them, and since the Dwarfs of this world had vanished, it was one of many secrets lost with them. Since the only source of this metal was that came out of the Dwarven ruins, the metal has come to be known as "Dwarven metal," named after its creators.

While reforging the metal didn't create Dwarven weapons as good as what the dwarves themselves had made, the metal neither dulls nor rusts, which meant it made for a good crafting material.

I didn't think the process required to make the metal was magical, although some sort of alchemy could be involved, so I might be able to replicate it. I would have to do a proper study of the material soon, and if I couldn't replicate it then I'd have to go to a dwarven ruin in order to obtain a stockpile.

Again that was something which could wait. I needed to finish preparing for this mission. A lot of lives, not to mention my operations here in Skyrim, were threatened by this event. And while I knew that the Wolf-Queens spirit would need dealing with even if this mission was successful I'd have time to prepare, and I could Serena get out of the way before that.

(Line Break)

**Wolfskull Cave. Skyrim.**

The three of us arrived at Wolfskull Cave by the afternoon. We'd brought the Mako, which I'd nearly driven into a windmill, but no one had been hurt, and I let Cortana drive since I was clearly out of practice when it came to controlling this armoured vehicle.

I would have liked to have liked to keep my advanced tech hidden for a while longer, however there was no sense holding back when so much was at stake. The Force wouldn't have guided me to this place if anything less then very urgent.

Disruptor rifle in hand I made my way into the Wolfskull Cave. A few moments after we entered the cave and walked down the tunnel, we found a cart filled with different type of bones. In the game there were skeletons outside the cave, perhaps this pile of bones would have become those guards.

As we proceeds down the tunnel, we encountered our first foe, there was a Draugr with its Ancient Battle Axe. When the Draugr noticed us, it charged towards us. However, Cameron aimed her rifle and fired it, causing the animated corpse to seem to vanish into nothingness.

After killing the Draugr, we continued walking down the path until we found ourselves in a camp where two Necromancers were present. They were quick to react, however Cameron and I were much quicker and we'd killed them, leaving no trace any bodies.

I was glad that we weren't doing this for the bounty as at this rate there'd be no evidence that we'd killed anyone. In the game I would have looted the corpses, but that wasn't possible now, and if there was any treasure around it could wait until we cleared out the cave.

Between us Cameron and I soon took out two more regular Draugrs and what I guessed to Draugr Scourge, judging by how much it registered to my mystical senses. Its power meant nothing of course as it was easily vaporised.

After that we ended up inside was what looked like an underground temple. Purple energy was dancing everywhere and was being transferred towards the highest peck of the ruins. I'd seen this not so long ago as we'd sent in a cloaked probe, however the probe had been disabled when it close to close to the energy streams.

I wasn't worried about Cameron, who was electronic, or about my equipment being disabled, as it was all better shielded and we intended to avoid the energy streams. The streams were also why we weren't using phase cloaks, as they were delicate, and weren't as much help as they should be when dealing with people with funky powers.

"Wolf Queen," I heard an old female voice said, "Hear our call and awaken. We summon Potema".

Suddenly, a few more voices joined in.

"We summon Potema!" they called out.

So far this was all as expected.

"The Necromancers are planning on summoning The Wolf Queen Potema" I heard Forestwind say.

"And who is she?" Cameron asked.

Due to limited time I'd not been able to explain everything that was going on my women. I'd explained the mission, and who we would be facing, but I'd not gone into the purpose of the ritual.

"She was an insane Necromancer who challenged Uriel III for the throne of the Empire" the adorable wood elf explained "She succeeded, but met her demise years later. Now these Necromancers plan on bringing her back to life".

I slapped a fresh power cell into my weapon.

"Not if we stop them" I said.

After carefully making our way way down the cliff we encountered yet another Draugr. While Cameron vaporised that one, the Necromancer who was guarding the ritual site along with the undead almost got off a spell. Only he ended up with an arrow sticking out of his chest. Forestwind was proving to be the best 50cp I ever spent.

As we made our way to the temple, the Necromancer continued with their dark magic, which my Mystical senses did not like one bit. Also I could feel the dark side here, which made the place even colder than it should be.

"Long have you slept the dreamless sleep of death, Potema. No longer. Hear us Wolf Queen. We summon you!"

The other Necromancers chanted as well.

"We summon Potema!"

My senses screamed at me, and I had to block them out as I felt an evil presence.

_"Yes! Return me to this realm!"_

They had succeeded in summoning the Wolf Queen, at least in spirit.

"Fuck!" I said, "We have to hurry!"

When we made it to the stairs, there were a few more Necromancers waiting for us, but they were also vaporised. No fuss, no muss.

"As our voices summon you the blood of the innocent binds you Wolf Queen"

"Summoned with words. Bound by blood" the others said

_"What!"_ the ghost of Potema cried,_ "What are you doing?! You fools! You cannot bind me to your wills!"_

When we finally made it to the tower where the ritual was being performed, Potema cried out.

_"You ants don't have the power to bind me!"_

Trying to think of something quick led to an idea. I took out a grenade and used my mind powers to guide it up the stairs.

"What is this thing?" I heard someone ask.

All of a sudden, the grenade went off and blasted the Necromancers off the tower and into the ground below judging by the way the screaming suddenly cut off.

Then then purple energy then exploded and started to fly out through the cave. By the time all ruckus was over the whole top of the tower was gone, leaving us all looking at the roof of the cavern. Thankfully I'd been able to shield from the fall debris.

"Well that's that" I said.

Time to go and report to the Jarl.

(Line Break)

**Solitude. Skyrim.**

When I got back the court was still in session, or likely back in session as I was sure that they must have stopped for lunch. Thinking about that made me realise how hungry I was. I'd been running on the Force since entered Dimhollow. Sure I'd eaten and slept last night, but I hadn't fully recharged yet.

"Have you returned from Wolfskull Cave already?" Falk Firebeard said

Well I had taken the Mako, which had majorly cut down on journey time, and while I was sure that many people had seen it, or at least heard it, the people in the palace had no reason to link that strangeness to what I'd been getting up to. And to be fair a lot of odd stuff happened in Skyrim.

"We are surprised that you have returned so quickly" added the Jarl "You must have gone straight there after meeting with us".

Perhaps she was simply assuming we had fast horses. It didn't really matter. What did matter was that I'd killed the Necromancers. This wouldn't be the end of the matter, unless my use of explosives had an even bigger effect on the ritual than thought. Although looking bad using a grenade hadn't been the smartest idea, if I wasn't so good at moving things with my mind I could have buried, and my armour may not have been enough to protect my body.

"Well, I am glad I did," I said, "As it turns out, those strange sounds that the guy who was here earlier report, were actually Necromancers performing a ritual to summon some Wolf Queen".

Everyone's faces turned pale, well paler, the natives of Skyrim weren't exactly know for dark complexions.

"They were trying to summon Potema?!" called out Firebeard, "Please tell us you stopped the ritual."

He wasn't the only one with something to say on the matter.

"Potema coming back, I dread to even think about such a thing" muttered the court wizard.

"Don't worry," I assured the court "I interfered with the ritual, and the whole thing blew up in their faces".

More literally than they could have imagined.

"You have done us a great service" stated the Jarl.

As she waved her hand, Flak Firebeard walked up to me with a bag containing some gold coins and handed it to me. I didn't need the money, as I could make my own, but there was no sense refusing the reward.

"Thank you. Glad I could help" I said.

With that I bowed and left, intending to get a nice meal, to drink a few bottles of mead, and then to make use of one of my women's body. I hadn't decided if it would be Cameron or Forestwind yet, maybe it would be both.


	6. Chapter 6

**Jump Chain Gothic 7**** \- Skyrim 1 - Dawnguard****  
**

**Part 6**

**Castle Volkihar. Skyrim.**

"That's a really fancy home you have there" I commented as Serana and I got off the ferry.

Serana looked down at the ground for a moment, a little embarrassed it seemed. She had to be a centuries old vampire, and yet her reaction to my comment had been very human. Which I found strange.

The ferry wasn't big enough for more than a couple of people so I'd been forced to leave Forestwind and Cameron back on the shore. Which meant I was more vulnerable than normal since I was alone. Also I had changed back into my Dawnguard armour, and I wasn't carry much in the way of advanced weapons.

However I still had my near-ascended abilities, my magical talents, and my connection to the Force, so I was hardly helpless. Not that I wanted to test how powerful I was by entering a castle that was full of vamps.

"I didn't want you to think I was just some spoiled daughter of a lord" she said "You know the type, those who act like a princess and cares for nothing more than fine clothes, and getting a rich husband".

Serana was certainly not one of those types. Still her home was impressive. Given the low level of technology in this world and the sheer size of the building I had to wonder if magic had been involved in its creation.

Then I remembered who lived here and figured that the secret of its construction could actually be magic, blood magic, who knows how many people died to make this castle. I was sure that I didn't want to know.

"Now I have to face my father" said the vampire.

From what I remembered of Harkon he wasn't the kind of person you wanted to socialise with.

"I'll leave you to your family reunion" I told Serena "It wouldn't be wise for me to enter that castle".

Going in there would be as foolish as a wounded deer entering the lair of a hungry pack of wolves. As powerful as I had become there was no sense putting myself at needless risk just because I wanted a challenge.

"Oh" said Serana "Well maybe I'll see you again".

I knew that unless events totally spiralled out of control that I would. But for now it was time to part ways. I needed to get back to Solitude so that I could finish dealing with the return of the Wolf Queen.

(Line Break)

**Solitude. Skyrim**

The Jarl listened with growing concern as her court mage described the history of the Wolf Queen and the horror of what a reborn Potema could do to land of Skyrim.

"Born in 3E 67, Potema was one of the four known children of Pelagius II" the magic user began by saying "Her grandfather, Emperor Uriel Septim II, is said to have exclaimed that the newborn looked like a "she-wolf ready to pounce". She was married to Mantiarco of Solitude at the age of fourteen. Though she could have been nothing more than a court pawn, Mantiarco evidently loved her greatly, and through him she wielded total control, something she apparently took a great liking towards".

Not the best of starts.

"In 3E 97, after many miscarriages, Potema had a son, whom she named Uriel after her grandfather. Her husband died three years later" the mage was now saying "It is suspected that soon after Uriel III was born, she tricked Mantiarco into disinheriting his son from a previous marriage, leaving her son as the heir to the throne of Solitude. However, Solitude was a mere stepping stone to the throne Potema truly desired for Uriel: the Ruby Throne of the Emperor of Tamriel".

The Jarl already knew most of this having long since learnt the history of the land she now ruled, but she knew that it was important to have all the information before deciding on a course of action.

"When her brother Emperor Antiochus died, Potema and her son were visiting the Imperial City, and she used the opportunity to accuse the dead Emperor's daughter of being a bastard so that son would inherit the throne" Elisf was told "However, she could not stop her niece's coronation as Empress Kintyra II, and, naturally, she was banished from the Imperial court".

"After her banishment Potema conspired with various disgruntled kings in High Rock, Skyrim, and Morrowind whose allegiance she had garnered over the years. With Potema's assistance, Uriel III coordinated three attacks on the Septim Empire" was the next part of the story "The attack in High Rock resulted in the capture of King Kintyra II. The attack in Morrowind centered on numerous Imperial coastal forts and resulted in the demise of the Empress's consort".

"After reinforcements left for these two provinces, the third attack in 3E 121 was a siege of the Imperial City itself. The city held out for a fortnight before they capitulated, and Potema's son crowned himself Uriel Septim III that same evening" the Jarl was told "His coronation is generally marked as the start of the War of the Red Diamond, though some sources take into account the hostilities that began the year before".

"The civil war pitted Potema and her son against her younger brothers Cephorus and Magnus. Potema commanded the allegiance of Skyrim and northern Morrowind. Cephorus and Magnus managed to sway all of High Rock to their side" the mage said "The other provinces were divided, but most leaders supported the brothers. In 3E 127, Uriel III was captured at the Battle of Ichidag in Hammerfell"

"At the time the now sixty-one-year-old Potema, was fighting against Magnus at the Battle of Falconstar, she flew into a rage when she heard what happened to her and led the successful assault herself" the Jarl was informed "While en route to Uriel III's trial in the Imperial City, a mob overtook his prisoner's carriage and burned him alive within it. His captors and uncle continued on to the Imperial City, and by common acclaim was proclaimed Emperor Cephorus I, ending the War of the Red Diamond. Potema finally died in her castle during the siege of Solitude ten year later".

"The reason it took Cephorus an additional ten years to defeat his sister, nearly his entire reign, was because Potema's fury and increasing madness led her to use extreme measures" the mage was now explaining "Her spirit was evidently extraordinarily strong, and she used her innate talent in conjuration and necromancy to inflict as much pain upon her brother's empire as she could".

This part the Jarl listened to even more closely as it would clue her into what the spirit of the Wolf Queen might do to Skyrim now that she had returned in some form.

"Potema summoned daedra as minions and mounted attack after attack on the forces of the Emperor Cephorus I, employing necromancers to use her enemy's fallen against them. She turned Solitude into a "land of death" and terrified her subjects. It's said that eventually, even her chambermaids and generals were undead monsters"

The Jarl felt herself shiver, and it wasn't due to the cold.

"How can we hope to defeat such a monster" she wondered.

It was Falk Firebeard who had a suggestion.

"Jarl I've spoke with Styrr, the priest of Arkay" said the adviser "He believes that that Potema has not truly returned to life, and that the man who interrupted the resurrection ritual may be the key to defeating Potema before she can return fully to life".

Elisf knew who Falk was referring to, and since Arkay was the Divine of Funeral rites, as well as other things, it made sense that Arkay's priest might have some knowledge of how to deal with a vengeful spirit.

"The man from the Dawnguard, Gothic I think his name was" the Jarl was now saying "I want him found, but Falk do so quietly. I don't want to cause a panic".

(Line Break)

**Solitude. Skyrim.**

It was once more morning when I arrived at the Blue Palace. Most of Jarl Elisif's Thanes hadn't yet made it in, so it was mostly just servants hurrying about the palace's halls, as they prepared for what would be another busy day.

The guards that stood watch looked bored, and made no notice of my arrival as I hurried up the stairs and into the throne room. The Jarl herself wasn't there yet, but Falk Firebeardwas. He caught sight of me, and then let out an audible sigh of relief.

"The courier must have found you," he said.

Indeed he had, and his timing could have been better as I'd been hoping to finally get shopping down. I needed a lot of alchemy and enchantment equipment, and while paying for the stuff was easy enough so far I'd visited a dozen different stores.

At the rate things were going I might have to join the College of Winterhold in order to get what I wanted, but I should worry about after dealing with the vampires, as it would be nice to join the College with Morgana at my side.

Thankfully I could entrust my companions to finish the shopping for me, and I was sure that I'd have some time for the further buying of things once the big bad was dealt with.

"The message you sent mentioned something about Wolf Skull cave" I said "So I assume this has something to do the ritual I brought to an explosive end".

Falk Firebread glanced around and lowered his voice to a whisper.

"Yes" he confirmed "and I'm afraid it's not good news".

It never was.

"What happened?" I asked.

I had to act as if I didn't know in order to keep the plot going in the way I best knew it. Also people might start to wonder how much I'd been involved with events if I showed too much knowledge of them.

"When you broke up the binding Potema escaped," he told me. "We've encountered some of her minions. Styrr says she's still in spirit form or we'd all be dead already".

All as expected.

"You've already done us a service in stopping the binding" Firebeard said next "but I need you to go talk to him, to see if Styrr can tell us what to do next. Styrr thinks you have some sort of link to Potema. I trust his judgement on this. As a priest of Arkay he's had to deal with necromancy before. Nothing as dangerous as Potema, though".

If memory served Arky was basically the god of funerals or something like that.

"All right. I'll talk to this Styrr. We'll figure something out" I promised.

"I wish you well, friend". Falk said as I turned to leave "Be careful".

Sure I'd be careful, but more importantly I'd be prepared.

(Line Break)

**Dead Drop Falls. Skyrim. **

Morgana Pendragon considered herself to be a kind and understanding wife. She didn't complain about her husband having an open marriage while she remained loyal only to him, as odd as that was for someone who'd grown up in a kingdom were adultery was harshly punished.

Nor did she raise a fuss when the Jumper went off and had adventures without her, and she didn't demanded attention when Gothic played with his toys, as that was just what men were like. But she'd now reached her limited.

Gothic had been gone for so long now and he'd barely messaged her. That partly had to do with the lack of advanced technology in this world, and the interference caused by the environment, an issue that would soon be solved by some cloaked probes, however this didn't prevent Morgans from feeling left out.

So she'd decided to do some exploring on her own. She'd found cave system that was only accessible through the southwestern section of Fort Dawnguard. The entrance she found between three practice dummies and the paddock for the armoured huskys.

There are few glowing mushrooms growing on the wall to the right of the entrance, which she had already harvest for future alchemy experiments. She needed the right equipment for that work, which her husband should supply in the near future, however there was nothing stopping her from gathering raw materials right now.

Upon entering the place known to some as Dead Drop Falls, the sorceress found herself in a natural cave system. She followed the passage found a waterfall directly ahead. She could see it clearly enough thanks to lantern she carried.

There are many types of fungi in the cave including blisterwort, imp stool, Namira's Rot, and fly amanita. Morgana came out of phase long to harvest all of these plants. She would make good use of them later, but for now they would be stored the knapsack which she carried. She'd paid a 100cp for it so it was damn well going to be used.

Once she had gathered the fungi Morgana looked around and realised that the only way to proceed was to drop into a hole formed which had been formed the water. Which of course she jumped down, knowing that she could use her powers to levitate back up. She was even able to use her powers to slow her fall so that she landed with some grace and didn't get her nice dress all wet. .

At the bottom of the hole there was some dry land with a unlit brazier off to the side, which Morgana lit with the a few whispered words and a hand gesture. To someone with her powerful magic it was a mere trick.

Morgana soon found herself in a huge shallowly flooded chamber which contained many rock pillars that were sticking up out of the water. The magic user found a path a dead skeever, which she was thought was a huge rat, caught in a bear trap. She decided to ignore this.

A search of the land beneath the pillars yields only a few fungi, that she added to her growing collection. While she was out of phase she could still get wet, and the water was cold, so she limited her time standing in the water.

Oddly she didn't pass through water like she could do solid matter, she could only assume this had something to do with how she could breathe.

At the top of the a ramp was a pressure plate that triggered a poison dart trap, however Morgana remained ignorant of this as she didn't trigger the trap.

On the wooden table was an empty chest, an iron dagger, and three loose septims, with some food barrels and a sack beside it. All of this she ignored as old sacks, a few coins and a rusty old dagger meant nothing to her.

Continuing up she reached a raised wooden bridge that was in two halves and there was a lever on the left. With her own telekinetic powers, which were magical, she pulled the lever, lowering the second half of the bridge, but this also raised the first half so Morgana had run and jump in order to cross.

At the far end there was another raised wooden bridge and a lever that lowered it, forming a ramp to a ledge above. Which led to a tunnel blocked by a metal gate, but since Morgana was out of phase she simply stepped through the gate.

Upon entering another part of the network of caves the sorceress saw three pressure plates on the ground; and yet another gate, which she was easily able pass through. This meant she didn't need to mess around with the pressure plates.

Beyond that gate was a tunnel with another gate at the end, and behind it was a small treasure trove containing an unlocked chest with a straw bale to the right with two pickaxes on top. The pickaxes were now too rusty to be of us, but the treasure chest contained a small fortune in coins. This time Morgana did take the money.

In the middle of the room is a long wooden table with quivers of exploding steel bolts of fire, ice and shock, she would later discover, and a copy of the rare book: _Confessions Of A Khajiit Fur Trader_.

Against the northwest wall is a set of shelves holding three iron ingots, one gold ingot, a large coin purse, and several food sacks, the contents of which had long since rotted away, or had been eaten by something.

Morgana also found a wooden door which she got the sense lead to somewhere new, but she decided to wait until tomorrow until venturing down there. For now she would take the stuff that someone had gone to great trouble to secure away.

Tomorrow she would venture further from the fortress, after all Gothic wasn't the only one who could have adventures. For now she'd take the loot she'd found back to her room, and given it all a proper looking over.

(Line Break)

**Solitude. Skyrim.**

The Hall of the Dead sat in the very centre of Solitude. I noticed that the building was constructed of the same rough grey stone as most of the rest of the city. Patches of nightshade surrounded the place, which I didn't mess with despite wanting to stuff to make potions from, as it might be disrespectful.

Pushing the door open, I stepped into the gloomy interior. As was to be expected, the place was filled with bones, and not just human ones. Deer skulls, troll skull, and so on. There were enough skulls here to make me think that I was in a Yautja's trophy room.

Candles that had been placed in between the bones, flickered in their alcoves along the walls, casting what little light they could. While I knew that consecrating the dead was a necessary part of the worship of the Divines, and possibly a way to combat Necromancy, I still felt a bit wary of it.

Of course I'd been dealing with a lot of undead recently, and even an advanced human sometimes found things creepy. Not that I should be worried. I was well suited to protecting myself. Besides I had both Cameron and Forestwind with me. They'd watch my back.

"Can I help you?" a voice asked.

I knew this had to be Styrr.

"Falk sent me to talk to you about Potema" I said,

The priest of Arkay smiled, and it was a warm, welcoming smile.

"You must be then one Falk spoke so highly of" he then said "Yes, Potema. Former queen of Solitude and one of the most dangerous necromancers in recorded history. She was responsible for the Empire's near collapse almost five hundred years ago. I believe I have a book about her…"

While knowing your enemy was important I already knew what I needed to do, so in this case I didn't need more information. What I needed to do now was get on with things.

"And now Potema has returned" I asked, cutting in.

I'd recognised a ramble coming on, and wanted to get to the point as quickly as possible.

"Summoned in spirit form is not raised from the dead," he explained. "She'll need help before she can return to the living. For the moment, the Wolf Queen has retreated to a place filled with dead eager to serve her".

I never understood why anyone would want to serve someone like Potema. What did she offer? It couldn't be good retirement benefits if she kept killing people in order to add them to her zombie army. And if it was fear that kept her in power, then why didn't people just run away? People were weird.

"She has gone to her old Catacombs" the priest informed me "And just yesterday, one of her servants busted through a wall into the Temple of the Divines. We'll need you to go into the Catacombs themselves".

As to be expected.

"I'll do it," I said.

I took the key he offered.

"Good. Being at the summoning created a connection between you and Potema" I was told.

I didn't feel any connection. Not that it really matter. Morality and stuff like fate aside I was the most suitable person around to deal with the Wolf Queen, and if she came back from the dead then she'd get in the way of my plans to grab a lot of cool stuff from this land before buggering off.

Besides my Judgement Day Perk was now informing that Potema was a real threat to the whole world, and would end it in less than a hundred years if not stopped. However the same was also true of the vampires and dragons so this was hardly shocking to me.

"As to Potema herself" the holy man was now saying "find what's left of her body, likely a skeleton. Remove it from the Catacombs and bring it back to be sanctified by Arkay"

Already heading for the door, I called over my shoulder,

"Get everything ready. I'll be back" I promised.

Leaving the Hall of the Dead, I climbed the hill leading to Castle Dour. A handful of legionnaires were training in the courtyard as I passed, and I heard their captain barking orders at them, yet I paid them no mind.

The Temple of the Divines, which was located at the far side of the castle's courtyard, happened to be empty aside from a few priests when I entered. As I passed through the chapel, I noticed the empty place where Talos should have been represented.

From the chapel, I headed down into the basement, my companions right behind me. The key Styrr gave me fit the lock in a gate blocking the final room. It opened with a creak and I stepped inside, shutting it behind me. I didn't want whatever was down there to get out if I could help it.

Then I turned around and used my Jumper Key to access to the Cosmic Warehouse.

"Keep an eye on the door" I ordered the robots who guarded this place.

I then turned to my companions.

"Okay let's suit up" I said.

For this mission we would need all the best toys. Disruptor rifles, grenades, armour, pistols, knives, and of course plenty of spare power packs.

(Line Break)

**Catacombs. Skyrim.**

One of the walls at the very back had been a hole in it. A lot of rubble littered the floor and I got the impression that whatever it was that had burst through the wall, it must have been strong.

Beyond the hole in the wall was a dark passage, which I could see into just find thanks to the helmet I wore. It could grant me many forms of vision. I switched to night vision so that I could see where I was going.

While raising my rifle I cautiously climbed through the rift and headed inside. The short tunnel led into a series of abandoned chambers. Some light came through ancient, grime-coated windows that were set high into the walls, but there was not enough light to see clearly by.

Dust and cobwebs coated every surface. In the layer coating the floor I saw several sets of footprints besides that of my own and my girls. The source, the undead servants of Potema I was sure.

I'd not been gone from the city for very long, yet already the dead were moving. This Wolf-Queen was clearly a very active woman even when in spirit form.

Metal bars blocked the doorway ahead, yet footprints marked the ground on either side, showing that the undead servants had passed through here. It had been closed recently, and the lever was in sight so I was able to open up the way using one of my super powers.

Normally the gate wouldn't have barred my way, or that of Cameron's, as we had phase cloaks, but as of yet I'd not had the time to teach Forestwind how to use the technology, that would change in the future.

Not that it was a good idea to use them right now. We needed to destroy the undead minions of the Wolf Queen, not sneak past them, and unless they sensed us they wouldn't move and expose which was a corpse and which was a zombie.

Also from experience I knew that being out of phase didn't always protect me from powerful users of supernatural powers, and Potema was very powerful.

_"You've arrived at last. The hero who prevented me from being bound returns to my fold. I have much to thank you for, little one. When you die, I will raise you and you can take your place by my side"_

While ignoring the voice that came from no where. We kept going through the abandoned halls. Slowly everything became darker as the old chambers gave way to the true catacombs. Shrivelled up draugr rested in alcoves along the walls.

The instant I felt one begin to stir, via a warning given to me by the Force, I shot it and it vanished into nothingness, or at least seemed to. Matter couldn't be created or destroyed, not really, so the people or things that got vaporised were actually turned into vapour.

Some of the floors of the catacombs further down were filled with water and some sunken areas were completely flooded. I saw a number of decaying bodies lying below the murky water. These ones didn't move, thankfully.

Following the faint sound of running water, I stepped out of a ruined doorway at the end of the passage. On the other side was a natural stone tunnel with a high ceiling. Cages hung all around, each one of them filled with mangled bodies.

The back of the tunnel was blocked off by a sealed doorway. I pushed down the nearby lever. An instant later there was a loud rumbling sound and the stone obstructing the doorway turned, as if it were part of a giant wheel set into the wall. When an opening appeared I held the door in place while everyone went through.

The tunnels went on for some time, they were patrolled by more of Potema's undead minions and laced with all kinds of traps, both magical and mundane. Forestwind once again proved to me what a good investment she was by either disarming the traps or by showing us how to avoid setting them off.

Finally the caverns finally ended in a rotting wooden door, which I soon opened. Beyond was a chamber with a high ceiling. In the centre was an old grate leading to Divines-only-knew where, and I got the feeling that I didn't want to know.

There was another, and it looked sturdier than the one I'd just passed through. This room had massive, rough looking stone pillars that stood at the room's edges. A man stepped out from behind one of them. He was dressed all in black and the torch he held in his hand cast eerie shadows on his pale face.

"You've come far, mortal," he said to me with a sneer on his fast "No doubt you seek to enter Potema's Sanctum. I can see to that. We'll need plenty of fresh corpses to rebuild her army".

As soon as he made a hostile move he was vaporised. These undead freaks really had no idea who or what they were dealing with. Even locked doors did little more than slow us down and they could also be vaporised, or Forestwind could simply pick the lock with skeleton key, which admittedly was more subtle and stealthy.

At the end of another set of tunnels was a small, circular room that was lit by candles which were set into the walls. The floor was completely covered with a layer of scattered corpses in varying states of decay.

Knowing a trap when I saw one I threw a grenade dowe the underground corridor and had any of the corpses been waiting to ambush us they would now have to do that while in pieces.

_"Not much further. Come, little things. Serve me in death. Your secrets will be mine"._

I was sure that the Wolf Queen was observing all of this and was very interested in the devices I was using to defeat her minions. However the knowledge of them would never belong to her as even if she actually managed to kill me I'd return home so there'd never be a body for her to raise.

There was a door at the bottom of a short set of stairs on the other side. I shoved it open, and soon I found myself standing in the doorway of a long hall. Heavy stone blocks lined the walls, all the way up to the arched ceiling.

Big black metal coffins filled the room and stood on either side of its sunken middle. Hovering in the air in the room's very centre was a bright, purple-white light that held a vaguely woman-like shape.

A laugh emanated from it. Then I heard Potema's voice, her words echoing off the walls.

_"You've come far, mortal, but can you stand against my inner council? Let's see!"_

The ghost of the Wolf Queen waved her hand and several of the coffins opened with a loud crack. Draugr stumbled out of them. As one, they drew their weapons and turned to stare at me.

"Back to back" I said to my companions.

Moving fast I shot one of the undead before dashing out of the way as they all ran toward us. I backed up until I couldn't any more, due other people being there. Cameron and I were firing at each moving corpse rapid succession. The odd arrow fired wasn't much help, but it hardly mattered.

I took several more down before one took a swing at me with its axe. I used my telekinetic powers to send it flying into the wall. It let out an unearthly shriek as it staggered back. It fell to the ground, writhing, and soon was no more than ash and burnt bones. My power cell was running low it hadn't had enough energy to totally vaporise that last corpse.

_"Don't applaud yourself too soon, worm!"_

Potema shot a bolt of lightning at me. I dropped my rifle, and activated my lightsaber just in time to use the blade to block the lightning bolt. Much like Obi-Wan did when Count Dooku tried to use lightning against him at the end of the Attack of the Clones movie.

"Is that it?" I asked "And here I thought you'd be a challenge".

My goading wasn't purely for amusement. I needed a moment to more fully bring the Force to my aid, not the light or the dark, the Force as it whole self.

"Come on, show me what you've got" I said.

There was another scream and sparks danced off the walls. I blocked another bolt, and then I heard a loud rushing sound. I saw the light vanish through a doorway at the other end of the hall.

Since I had no intention of letting her get away from me I hurried through the doorway and entered a new chamber.

At the top of a short flight of stairs was an ancient throne. A skull sat on it, a crown resting on its brow. As I approached, a ghostly figure rose from the throne. A woman, wearing the same crown. She drew her sword, which was a ghostly thing.

An arrow and a disruptor bolt passed through the spirit, showing me that mundane attacks had no hope of defeating this foe.

"Leave her to me!" I called out.

_"You dare to face me, you pathetic worm?"_

To my mild surprise her ghost blade was able to block my lightsabre's blade, but that didn't help her much as while she may have been a decent warrior in life she was no match for a former knight of Camelot who could call upon the Force.

I was able to drive her ghost blade aside and to drive my blade into where here heart would be if she were still a living person. My weapon had a magic crystal within it, one that had been freely given by the guardian of the Crystal Cave, which in Merlin's world was thought be the source of magic. Regardless if that was true or not the sabre was able to cause the spirit some sort of harm and she faded away.

As I took a deep breath and returned my sabre to its place on my belt I knew that Potema would return if given time so I had to act now. Grabbing the skull from where it rested on the throne, I made for the door at the back of the room.

Moments later I stepped out into the sunlight, and suddenly realised that I was standing on a thin precipice overlooking Solitude's bay. Glancing down at the rocky cliff below, I sighed. It wasn't going to be easy to get down that way, so I might have to go all the way back through the catacombs, which would be a pain.

(Line Break)

**Solitude. Skyrim.**

"I have Potema's remains," I called out the moment I stepped back into the Hall of the Dead "Time for you to do your thing",

Styrr hurried out from one of the back rooms. I wondered what he was working on, but quickly decided it was probably best not to know.

"Excellent! These things do have a way of working out when people take action. I'll sanctify the remains at once" he promised

As he took the skull from me, he spoke again.

"In case Falk doesn't make it clear" he said "Solitude owes you a great debt of gratitude".

On that I could agree.

"She was building an army of the dead so yeah you owe me big time" I stated.

A hero would be humble at this point. I was not going to be. Not that it had really been a lot of work.

"A curious figure," Styrr told me, obviously distracted. "Unrepentantly evil and nasty, of course, but also astonishingly brilliant, and obviously quite a necromancer at her end".

A bit of an understatement really.

"She was always so close to being Empress, but despite her machinations the throne was never to be hers" the holy man was now saying "Ironically, if she were alive today, she'd be the only living member of the Septim bloodline. By all rights, she would now be Empress"

I wasn't sure if this was the case.

"The Empire still acknowledges the Septims' claim to the Ruby Throne?" I asked.

Apparently it did, but since there was no living Septims it hardly matter. Only the Septims were of the Dragon Blood, as was the Dragonborn, so I had to wonder if the Dragonborn, who I'd not heard anything about yet despite the loss of Helgen, was somehow descended from a Septim. Interesting to think about, but not really relevant to me.

I left the Hall of the Dead and hurried back to the Blue Palace. It was late in the evening, but many of the Thanes still milled about. I nodded to Falk, not wanting to discuss the matter in front of everyone, and he quickly hurried over to me.

"I've taken care of Potema," I told him in a hushed voice, once I was reasonably sure no one else could hear "Her remains are being dealt with right now".

His shoulders instantly relaxed, as if I'd removed a great weight from them.

"You've done a great thing today. Potema would have been a blight on the land" said the Steward "Without you this would have been a disaster. I should have paid more heed to Varnius's warnings. I won't make that mistake again"

Careful he handed me a purse of coins

"Take this payment" he instructed "The Jarl would thank you, but she very much wants to keep Potema's return quiet".

"I understand," I said quietly.

With everything going on the last thing Skyrim needed was another reason to get the public in a panic. They had enough to worry about. Sure I wouldn't mind some recognition for my actions, but perhaps one day the truth would come out.

"Make no mistake: we consider you a protector of Solitude" Falk then added.

He nodded to me and walked back over to join the others by Jarl Elisif's throne while I quietly slipped away and out of the palace. I still had some shopping to do before I returned to Fort Dawnguard.


	7. Chapter 7

**Jump Chain Gothic 7**** \- Skyrim 1 - Dawnguard**

**Part 6**

**Markarth. Skyrim.**

The city-state of Markarth was situated deep within a part of this country known as the Reach. It was part of the Druadach Mountains that made up the border between Skyrim and High Rock. A place that would have taken us sometime to reach if not for the probes I'd sent out to better map this land, Forestwind's local knowledge, and the ability of the Mako to handle rough terrain.

Markarth, was actually built on the original dwarven settlement, once known as Nchuand-Zel, which was built around a large rock formation with twin rivers flowing between the lower valley and the upper path.

While the city itself wasn't the safest place you could find yourself, going outside of the city meant entering some very hostile territory, this part of the country was filled with bands of those Forsworn nutters, and the Divines only knew what else.

The seat of power in Markarth was the Understone Keep, that place contained an entrance to Nchuand-Zel, which could be found underneath the city, and it was the focus of my interest since I'd come here primarily for dwarven metal.

While in Solitude I'd been able to acquire the enchanting and alchemy equipment I'd desired, and all of that stuff was now safely stored in the Cosmic Warehouse, there was no sense lugging so many items across the country when I didn't have to.

I'd also brought a lot of books about this land as while my Bosmor did have a lot of local knowledge, there were plenty of magical items in this part of Nirn that I wanted to claim, and she might not know where to find them all. I knew of them from playing the game, but the details could be different in reality.

My interest in dwarven metal mostly had to do it being one of the better metals my blacksmith perk allowed me to work with. Also I was curious to see it if it could replicated, or if their was some magical, or at least partly mystical, involved in the process of its creation. If so I'd like to learn what that process was.

Nchuand-Zel had been a major dwarven city back in its day, so it should be able to supply with me plenty of the metal, which I could melt down and turn into ingots, anything I made from the metal would be inferior to real dwarven metal craft, so hopefully we'd find some good stuff while exploring the dwarven city, such as real arms and armour.

I planned to fill my Skyforge, a warehouse addon I'd gotten for this Jump, with the dwarven metal, which should be within the rules since I'd only be storing materials for blacksmithing in that area. Still I'd check with Jump Chan if given the chance.

"Oh good morning," the old man greeted. "Forgive my foul mood. We lost another mercenary to that damned spider. My research is halted until she's taken care of, and I can't find anyone competent enough to get rid of her".

The robed guy must have seen a small group of well armed and armoured people coming over and had amused that we were looking for work. It was clear that he was hinting at the idea that we could take care of his problem.

"Perhaps we could be of some help," I offered.

The scholar went on to tell me about the big ass spider that had appeared without warning and had started killing anyway who tried to go down into the dwarven ruins. I had no love for spiders and while I'd dealt with a Frostbite Spider before I figured that I'd make use of Cameron. Better to have her terminate the creature for me.

"I would be in your debt," then man who I thought was called Calcelmo, replied "and you will be paid for his services".

The money didn't matter, but I'd take it anyway so as no to appear suspicious.

(Line Break)

**Markarth. Skyrim.**

"Stay out here," Cameron instructed when we approached the entrance to the cavern where Nimhe had made her home "This won't take long".

I listened as the sound of a battle ensued, Cameron fired the energy weapon she was keeping hidden in her armour, and that was about it. I'd ordered her not to vaporise the monster in case Calcelmo wanted to confirmed the spider's death.

"You can come in now" my bodyguard called out "the monster is dead"

The sight of the massive spider carcass made me shiver. I'd never seen such a massive spider before, the one in that cave of vampires seemed much smaller when compared to this monster, which had to be the size of the bus.

I turned to see Cameron, who was busy vaporising the egg sacs that littered throughout the room, preventing Nimhe's progeny from hatching. Which was a good thing or the young ones would soon be born and they'd head up to the surface in search for food.

Given the sheer size of the spiders and they amount of young they had I had to wonder why they weren't a more common sight. Perhaps they weren't a natural species, but rather a mutation caused by the magical energies of this realm.

Before I noted that the big door on the opposite side of this chamber was heavily covered with the spider's silken webs. Upon closer inspection I found a carcass that was still wearing the uniform of an Imperial soldier. Forestwind approached the body and examined the corpse.

Soon she handed me a note which was addressed to someone called Salonia. The soldier had apparently been hired to guard an expedition into Nchuand-Zel. The soldier's name was Alethius. I wondered if he'd died doing his job or if the whole expedition was now dead and dried up in cocoons.

"Are we going to enter the ruins?" Cameron wondered as she approached me "Or can we get the metal you need around here".

I was itching to delve further into the ruins right now, but I knew that it was best to let Calcelmo know the spider would no longer be a problem.

"We'll go deeper underground" I said "But let's check in with the guy whose supervising this site before we do".

(Line Break)

**Markarth. Skyrim.**

The old man was beyond grateful as as he paid us, he ranted about how he would be able to get back to work, finally. I waited until he was finished before showing him the note.

"Hmmm," he commented as he read it over. "Where did you find this?".

I hadn't. I wasn't in the habit of touching dead bodies. I didn't recall normally being so squeamish about certain things, however it was to be expected for my personality to change over time as every Jump changed me even if I took on no new memories, and this time I did have some new memories. Granted they were about a basic magical education, but the human mind was a funny thing.

"On a corpse in the spider's lair," Forestwind replied.

Hopefully this robed guy hadn't been overly attached to the dead man.

"He must have been someone from Staubin's little group," he stated while putting the note away "A brave scholar, but not very wise. I assume you're anxious to do some exploring of your own?".

Indeed we were.

"Very well," he said "You've proven your usefulness and skill. If you find anything useful, please bring it to me, including any notes you may find from Staubin's group. I doubt he's alive. It was weeks ago when they wandered into the ruins, but there's a chance they uncovered some useful information before meeting their demise".

Time to go exploring.

(Line Break)

**Dwarven Ruin. Skyrim.**

Nchuand Zel was amazing. Currently we three explorers stood atop a ramp gazing out over the underground city. Various buildings and towers reached great heights despite the fact they had been built without a sky overhead, and they were all connected by narrow bridges.

The entire city was built within an underground cavern that was lit by some sort of bio-luminescent mushrooms that lined the ceiling and walls of the cavern. So that even without my special sunglasses I would be able to see where I was going.

I made a mental note to harvest this species of mushroom as while its bio-luminescence was impressive, and an organic light source could prove useful in the future. Which didn't take long as the stuff was everywhere.

Still I was glad of the glasses as they allowed me to see in great detail. I had never seen anything like it before. It far surpassed the expectations I had from playing game. I was so glad that I had come to this great Dwemer city.

"Cameron keeping scanning" I ordered "And Cortana, use my glasses to record. I want to be able go back over this later".

As a group we began to descend the ramp, Cameron, who was best suited to the role of meat shield despite not being made of meat, was taking the lead with Forestwind at the back, protectively sandwiching me between them.

Before long Cameron, whose machine senses out performed even mine, held up a hand, signalling for us to stop. Then she pointed toward a stooped figure that was prowling around on the platform below us.

"Falmer," my bosmer guide whispered.

It made sense that she'd know a lot about the Falmer, given what I'd created her for. I also knew a bit about them as well. They were once a great race of elves, who were called the Snow Elves because of their choice of habitat, which had been the snow-covered mountain ranges of Skyrim and Morrowind.

In the past they had fought against the Nords, the Chimer, the ancestors of the Dumner aka the Dark Elves, and the Dwemer, aka the Dwarves, in order to maintain their hold on their lands, but when it looked like defeat was imminent, they asked the Dwemer for help. Which had been a mistake.

Their elven cousins agreed to hide them within their underground cities, but they tricked them, feeding them some sort of fungus that caused blindness. From then on, the Snow Elves became slaves to the Dwemer.

The Dwarves were gone now, but after centuries of living below the ground, the Snow Elves were now the Falmer, a grotesque, blind race who prowled the shadows, who were willing to eat humans, and they struck fear into the hearts of those who dwelled on the surface.

They roamed the ancient ruins as well as caves that they had found access to because of their proximity to the underground cities, and any unprepared explorer who delved into the depths often found themselves at their mercy.

I watched as Forestwind readied her bow and took the Falmer out silently before the ugly creature had even realised that we were here.

"Boss, if you want to keep exploring, then we need to move on" my bosmer whispered to me "They'll notice he's dead soon and they will start looking for us"

Before long we entered one of the buildings, and we quickly took care of any Falmer that we came across as we crept through the ruins. This building appeared to be a residence of some sort, as it was divided into various living areas. I figure at some point in the past that several family groups had probably dwelled within the building.

The building was filled with traps not set by the dwarves, that my newest companion easily disarmed, and it quickly began apparent to me that the Falmer had set up their own dwellings within this building. They lived in odd looking tents, which I had no desire to examine.

It was here that we found two corpses, who in life had obviously belonged to the expedition that had died down here. One was a guard, the other appeared to have been a mage or scholar, perhaps both.

Forestwind discovered a diary on the mage, and reading it allowed me to learn that this man had been named Stromm. He had opted to stay behind with the guard to research the dwellings further and had written his findings within his diary.

I pocketed the book with the intention of giving it to Calcelmo, as well as a few artifacts that we'd found within the quarters that hadn't appealed to me when I'd decided what to keep.

While I was here for metal, and there was only so much of that we could carry even when my women now had pouches of holding as well. We had to worry about weight limits and I didn't have much use for cups, bowls, and plates of dwarven metal, although I did take some as they wouldn't take up to much room in the Cosmic Warehouse. Having a dining set of dwarven metal did appeal to me so I even took some sets of cutlery.

"I think that's everything of value in here," I commented.

We took one last look around in case we'd missed something important. It didn't look as if we had.

"Come one, boss. Let's get out of her before meet the same fate as these poor sods," my Bosmer said "I don't much like the feeling of being trapped down here".

Since she was a wood elf it made sense that she wouldn't be at her best when deep underground. She hadn't seemed bothered by Dimhollow, but I could tell that this place was getting to her, so it would be best to leave as quickly as we could.

(Line Break)

**Dwarven Ruin. Skyrim.**

Back out in the caverns, we found the next portion of the passageway to have been flooded. So we waded through the murky water and then swam to the next building, well Forestwind and I swam, Cameron sank and then climbed out of the water.

Inside the next part of the city, along with several more Falmer, we found weapons, armour, and many inactive Dwemer automatons. I knew that some of these ancient creations still worked in the ruins, even hundreds of years after the disappearance of their creators, and I also knew that no one understood how they worked,

As we explored, we encountered a few more dead guards from the previous expedition as well as another researcher. After one of my women finding his notes on his corpse, I discovered his name had been Erj.

Within this part of the ruins I found plenty of dwarven metal that I could recycle later one, but I didn't take the armour due to weight concerns, and because I could make my own suit if I so desired.

Before long we continued on to the next building, and this one was full of steaming pipes and dozens more Falmer. Thankfully the nasty creatures only had arrows and swords, so they weren't much of a threat to people who had energy weapons, and kinetic barriers. Plus I kill with my mind.

It wasn't long before we found ourselves in a room that contained the corpse of a guy called Staubin

"Staubin knew that they were too outnumbered by the Falmer to fight their way out" I explained, while holding out the notes for the other to read "He wanted to turn the automatons on".

We had phase cloaks so we could easily leave if we wished. I hadn't used them yet as I nothing here was really a threat.

"I don't want to battle one of those giant centurions," Forestwind told me "I've heard horrible tales. They're stronger than six men and spit steam that will melt your flesh off".

That didn't concern me too much, but I could see value in the machines.

"If there's going to be a full expedition down here then we need to clear out the Falmar" I told my companions "We can turn on the defences, sneak out and then let the Falmar and the centurions destroy each other, then anyone else coming down here will only need to deal with the survivors".

And they'd know how to turn the defences off as I could leave instructions.

"The plan has merit" was all Cameron had to say on the matter.

We moved on and soon found what we were looking for as we climbed a ramp. We took out a lone Falmer and then let ourselves into a small room which had lever in the centre of it.

"That it, boss?" Forestwind asked.

It might be one of their lifts, but if it was that was fine as it would just led to more exploring.

"I think so," I replied

Which my mind powers I pulled the level. It was a bit stiff from years of remaining in one position, but after putting some real mental energy into the task I succeeded. Loud mechanical sounds filled the space around them as pumps and gears began to work again, and whatever mysterious machinations that controlled the automatons began running.

Now safely out of phase we began retracing our steps out of the ruins. When we reached the cavern, the sounds of battle filled the air. Falmer fought Dwarven spider machines, mechanical warriors who appeared out of metallic spheres, and giant centurions in the visage of the Dwemer themselves. As we were safe we got to spend some time watching as the Falmer and the automatons fought.

On the way out we found one of the spider things, it was inactive, however it looked intact. Cameron went out of phase long enough to pick up the dwarven creation

"You want to bring it with us, don't you?" I asked.

Even after decades Cameron rarely expressed interest in anything other me, so when she got it into her CPU to pick up a hobby I liked to encourage her.

"I wonder how they work," she replied. "I'd like to take it apart".

That was fine by me. I knew that the automatons went inactive if you removed them from their home, and even if Cameron did figure out how to switch it back on it wouldn't be much of a threat.

"Okay, but if they start replicating and trying to consume the universe I'm going to give you such a spanking" I warned.

Cameron was unconcerned by this.

(Line Break)

**Markarth. Skyrim.**

We found Calcelmo back in main cavern of Understone Keep exactly where we'd left him. I doubted that he'd left his post since he'd gone down to the ruins, and while the trip hadn't seemed to take very long, we'd actually been gone for hours.

The old man was thrilled with the notes and diaries that we had found, though sad to hear of the fate of his former research partner. He handed over a bag of coins, and gushed that these notes would be added to his own research immensely.

I then went on to explain that I'd turned the defences on, and that I knew how to switch them back on again. He was fine with this as he could hire some sneaky type to go do that for him.

He also noticed that metal spider than Cameron was carrying about

"What are you going to do with it?" he asked.

"I want to take it apart. See if I can figure out what makes it work" she said.

With that we left, and Cameron ignored the robed mans mutterings about how if he'd not been able to figure it out then she never would.

(Line Break)

**Volunruud. Skyrim**

While we were heading back to Fort Dawnguard, we had the Mako so the trip would take hours at the most, and only because we had go around so many mountains. So we had time to stop off at a few places of interest even if that meant taking a less than direct route home.

While planning where to visit I'd noted that Cameron lacked an enchanted weapon, which wasn't normally much of an issue, however I had noticed that back when we'd been fighting Potema's spirit that mundane weapons, even advanced ones, couldn't harm her.

Allnel Forestwind had her Nightingale blade in case of encounters with more spirits, but should we encounter more ghosts then Cameron, who couldn't even cast spells, would be a real disadvantage.

With this in mind I used our maps, probes and my Bosmer's knowledge of this world to find Volunruud, which I knew to be a tomb containing a word wall for the Aura Whisper shout, as well as the treasure and dead body of the Tongue Chieftain Kvenel.

According to one of the books I'd had time to check out the ruin was supposedly the final resting place of one "Tongue Chieftain Kvenel", among others. Replicas of his two weapons were the key to his burial chamber. Not that this was a concern for me as my companions and I simply went out of phase in order to get through the door.

My concern about Cameron not being able to fight spirits turned out to be valid when we encountered the ghost of Tongue Chieftian Kvenel, whose Shout knocked me on the ass, despite me using the Force to cushion myself, and when my Terminator moved to prevent the spirit from killing me she simply moved through the spirit.

Lucky for us all I was quickly able to get to my feet, and with my lightsaber I made short work of the spirit, who simply couldn't match my experience and ability to know my foes moves in advance thanks to my precog powers. Which admittedly were not perfect, but that was why I wore armour and had personal shields.

"On this sacred ground did Fredo sacrifice her life so that her many children could escape and someday vanquish her enemy" I read from the World Wall.

While I couldn't perform any Shouts, I was given a translation of any writing I focused on by one of my perks. As such I understood the dragon tongue. I'd considered trying to learn a Shout, but that would be a time consuming task, and I had a lot to do while in this world.

"Find the weapons" I ordered.

Before long we had what we come for. Eduj the sword and Okin the war axe. I'd only intended to give the sword to Cameron, but she took both, replacing her generic steel weapon with Eduj, while quickly devising a way to keep Okin dangling from her belt in a way that would allow her to easily reach for it.

I'd planned to strip the axe of its enchantment, or let Morgana do it, but I let Cameron keep the axe since she'd use to protect me, and besides she rarely wanted anything for herself.

My enhanced memory, which while not perfect was a powerful tool, let me know that the sword did frost damage to health and stamina, which I guessed in real life harmed and slowed down anyone struck with the weapon.

The axe did the same, which made Cameron carrying both of these weapons seem a bit silly to me. So I decided to find her another war axe if possible, one with a different enchantment, or to make one meant for her alone to use.

However that could wait as we had plenty more to do.

(Line Break)

**High Gate Ruins. Skyrim**

When we entered the ruin, the first thing we saw was a pair of dead draugr, then a bit further in, we found a woman who wore nothing more than sleeveless, bare-midriff fur armour. She had be totally immune to cold to be wearing that in this sort of weather.

"You three look ready for a fight" she said. "I'm Anska. Are you here to help?"

She continued talking before anyone could ask what she wanted help with. Not that I needed to inquire as I knew what was going on here.

"I've finally located Vokun's crypt!" Anska almost shouted out "The scroll I'm looking for just has to be here".

The woman paused briefly, looking hopeful.

"If Vokun is as powerful as I think, I may need a little help um ... dealing ...with him" Anska admitted "In return you can have anything except the scroll, of course".

Since I'd come here for Vokun's mask so our goals were in sync. In the game Vokun's mask was a steel dragon priest mask obtained by killing the Dragon Priest Vokun within High Gate Ruins. The artefact's enchantments increased your Alteration, Conjuration, and Illusion skills by twenty points when worn. I didn't know how that worked in reality, but I was eager to find out.

"We can work together" I said.

This greatly pleased the local lady.

"Great, with the four of us this should be easy" was her opinion.

This time I led the way deeper into the dungeon, finding a huge room with several draugr. I was not surprised when Anska started casting Destruction spells, and between that and our Dawnguard crossbows we made short work of the enemy.

My group had to use our crossbows as it wouldn't do to show off our special equipment or abilities, in front of a local unless we really had to. I'd rather not draw too much attention to myself, but if needs be I'd use my powers.

While I had the ability to wipe people's memories, there was really no need to do that if I didn't have to, and missing memories were themselves capable to attracting the attention of others.

When the draugr were defeated we continued on, finding a two-level room with a trapdoor and levers on pedestals

"This looks like some sort of lever puzzle" Anska said, mentioning the obvious "We'll have to figure out the correct order to flip them"

There were symbols above us on the next level which allowed to quickly open the way, and went down the stairs, entering some catacombs, and made our way along, killing more draugr as we moved.

The undead barely even slowed us down. We had so much fire power between us that we were more in danger of shooting each other than getting hit by one of the zombies.

Eventually we came across another puzzle room, where we had to fight two Deathlords, but fortunately, one at a time. After fighting them we found that a lever had been revealed, which opened up a way into a short corridor, which in turn lead to a set of double doors, and these opened without our aid as we approached them.

I had time to notice a Word Wall, but nothing else, before a sarcophagus exploded and a Dragon Priest emerged.

"That's Vokun, the guardian of the scroll," Anska said. "We must get past him".

Before the Dragon Priest could do anything I threw Caliburn using my mind powers at the undead thing, which soon reduced it to dust. My timing was good as the undead boss had been in the process of summoning something when I'd thrown my magical sword.

Telekinesis was an actual spell in this world, so if asked I'd just say to the local woman that I'd been practising the spell, and that my sword was enchanted to deal a lot of damage to the undead. The second part was totally true, just not in a way that Anska would understand.

"Good riddance!" Anska yelled out "Let's find the scroll. It should be in here somewhere".

After recovering the mask and the staff, both of which were valuable, I checked out the Word Wall, which didn't react to me, however I could read it.

_And lo did mighty Heimverlund come from the brutal north, like a storm of unbridled vengeance from Sovngarde itself._

Then while looking around I saw a scroll on a nearby table, and I picked it up.

"Is this it?" I asked

"Yes, yes, that's it!" the local lady called out.

Anska ran over to me and took it.

"I cannot thank you enough for all of the help" she said,

She reached into her pack, and was soon handing me a Conjure Flaming Familiar spell tome. Which was a spell I didn't know, and would like to learn.

Leaving Anska to study her scroll, my companions and I found the "back door", and headed backed to the Mako, which I'd parked nearby while under cloak.

(Line Break)

**Fort Dawnguard. Skyrim.**

As soon as I got back to the fortress I was more or less interrogated by Isran. I wanted to go and see Morgana right away, but alas I wasn't able to.

"You're going to tell me why a vampire showed up here looking for you" he demanded.

That wasn't a question, and that was good as I didn't really have an answer for him, not one that I could give without exposing that I was much more than I seemed to be. So far I'd been able to hide my otherworldly nature from people, or at least limit how much they saw.

"Fine let's go have a little chat with it, shall we?" Isran said his voice somehow even colder than normal "Maybe it will explain what in Oblivion is going on".

Following the Redguard we went down some stairs, as we moved I could hear Isran muttering to himself.

"I knew it would come to this one day, and no one listened to me" he whispered.

When we entered what I assumed to be the dungeon I was disgusted by the scene before me. Dried blood was caked on the floor, and there were horrific torture devices all around as well tool of torment hanging on the walls. Thankfully none of the stuff looked as if had been used in a while.

Serana was locked upside a cell and I inspected the vampire for signs of injury, I found none. Clearly Serana had let herself be locked up, and she didn't look at all concerned about being behind bars.

Given her mastery of magic I didn't think this cell could contain her if she wished to leave. Also I figured that she must have told Isran something he wanted to hear otherwise at least some of the Dawnguard would have gotten themselves killed trying to slay her.

"This vampire showed up just before sunrise" the Redguard informed me.

Isran's voice was full of hatred. I was no fan of vamps either, but he made my feelings seem like mere dislike when compared to how much he loathed the blood drinkers.

"I'm guessing this has something to do with Dimhollow Crypt" Isran went on to say "Says it's got something real important to tell you".

While I noticed Isran's refusal to refer to Serana as a being I didn't comment on this as in truth I didn't really see them as people either.

"I'm guessing you weren't expecting to see me again" the female vampire said.

Now that my eyes had adjusted better to the low light levels I saw that Serana was now wearing a set of expensive looking leather armour. She had no weapon on her, I figured that she had surrendered them to the Dawnguard, or maybe she just conjured them as needed.

"I'd rather not be here" she said while glancing at Isran "but I needed to talk to you".

Well that was obvious, she wouldn't have come here for tea and cake.

"So why are you here?" I asked.

There was no sense wasting time on small talk. I knew why she was here, but to get the ball rolling she needed to explain things to Isran.

"It's important, so please listen" she pleaded "Its about me, and about the Scroll that I was buried with".

Harkon wanted to blot out the sun and to do it he needed a special bow and an Elder Scroll, we'd get to that at some point.

"The reason I had it, and why I was down there," Serana said, sounding a little ashamed "It all comes back to my father".

Her tone of voice made it clear that she was displeased with Harkon.

"I'm guessing you figured that part out already, but my father's not exactly a good person" she went on to say "Even by vampire standards".

This wasn't anything I didn't already know, but I didn't think rushing Serena would help, so I let her talk.

"He wasn't always like that, though" she then said "There was..."

She seemed to be struggling to find the right words.

"An event" she went on to say "He stumbled onto this obscure prophecy, and just kind of lost himself in it".

Again I didn't press her to keep speaking. Instead I let her take her time. Isran thankfully did the same.

"It was pointless and vague, like all prophecies" I was now being told "The part he latched onto said that the vampires would no longer need to fear the sun. That's what he's after. He wants to control the sun, so that vampires can control the world".

According to my Judgement Day Perk he would destroy the world within months if I didn't stop him. Which I would, as if needs be I'd just blow his castle.

"Anyway," Serana continued "My mother and I tried to stop him. That's why I was sealed away with the Scroll".

That sounded stupid to me because even if the Elder Scrolls couldn't be destroyed then the thing could have been put into a box along with something heavy and then dumped into the sea.

Also it didn't explain why Serana had been locked up with the scroll. I knew that it had to do with her blood, but as of yet she hadn't bothered to explain that, in fact she might know that yet.

"So I thought you might want to know about a vampire plot to enslave or destroy the entire world," Serana finished.

Well she wasn't wrong. This was something people needed to know about.

"You've heard what it has to say" Isran said impatiently "So tell me why shouldn't I kill this bloodsucking fiend right now?".

Serana had an answer.

"Because you're going to need my help" she said.

Also because I was pretty sure that if he tried she'd use her magic to kill him.

"Why, because of that story about the prophecy? About some vampire trying to put the sun out?" Isran ranted. "Do you actually believe any of that?"

Yes, because I'd seen all this play out before.

"She risked her life by coming here" I pointed out "She wouldn't have done that on a whim".

Isran wasn't totally convinced by that logic

"Maybe it has a death wish. Maybe it's just insane. I don't really care," Isran said irritably "It's a vampire".

The two of us stared each other down for a few seconds before Isran relented.

"It can stay here for now" he then said "but if it so much as lays a finger on anyone here, I'll hold you responsible. Got it?".

If Serana decided to start killing people I was sure that I could stop her. I had powers she couldn't even imagine, but given my last fight with Master Vampire I'd rather not fight her if I could avoid it.

"You hear me?" Isran was now saying to the vampire "Don't feel like a guest, because you're not. You're a resource, an asset. In the meantime, don't make me regret my sudden outburst of tolerance and generosity, because if you do, your friend here is going to pay for it".

Serana seemed amused.

"Thank you for your kindness. I'll remember it next time I'm feeling hungry" she said cheekily.

Serana then changed the subject, before Isran could get upset.

"Oh and, in case you haven't noticed, I still have the Elder Scroll" she informed us "Whatever it says, I bet it will help us stop my father".

She then folded her arms.

"But of course, neither of us can read it" she then added.

From what I remembered from the game, the Dragonborn could look at an Elder Scroll without going blind, but that didn't mean he could read all of them. He'd just used one to look into the past while at a wound in time. Still he had a better chance than most people.

Thankfully he wasn't the only option. Which was good because he or she was most likely working to defeat Alduin, and didn't have time to help us. My Judgement Day Perk was also letting me know that the dragons would end the world as well if not stopped. That wasn't my concern really, however it did mean that I needed to end the vampire crisis quickly so that I could leave if needs be.

"Moth Priests are the only ones I've heard of who can read the scrolls" Isran was saying "They spend years preparing before they can do it, though, and even when they do it costs them their sight, at least".

The leader of the Dawnguard had more to say

"Some Imperial scholar arrived in Skyrim a few days ago" Isran went on to say "I was staking out the road when I saw him pass by, maybe he or she was a Moth Priest".

I wondered when he'd found the time do that as he seemed to be a very busy man. He had lots of people to yell at and someone had to have been fixing up this castle.

"Do you know where he's staying now?" Serana asked

I could hear the hope in her voice.

"No" he said "And I am not going to waste men looking. We're fighting a war against your kind and I intend to win it. You want to find him, you're on you own. Try talking to innkeepers and carriage drivers in the big cities".

With that Isran walked away, leaving the two of us alone.

"So do you have any idea how to find a Moth Priest?" Serana asked.

I remembered that Dragon Bridge had some connection to this part of the quest line, but I wasn't a hundred percent sure.

"We can discuss that later" I told her "Hold on I'll get the key to..."

Before I could finish speaking Serana cast a spell on the door of the cell which unlocked it.

"I also mastered alteration fairly quickly" she said.

Now I was even more glad than ever that she was on my side. I'd hate to have to fight her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Jump Chain Gothic 7**** \- Skyrim 1 - Dawnguard**

**Part 8 **

**Fort Dawnguard. Skyrim **

Currently Cameron was lying on the bed, hers legs spread, and Gothic was lying on top of her, while in the process of fucking her. Which was not an odd thing for Cameron, as getting fucked by the Jumper was something that had happened many hundreds of times before, and likely it would happen many more hundreds of times.

She had a record of each session of intercourse, which she'd used over the years to better understand what pleased the human. Although his tastes had changed a little over the decades so she had to keep adjusting her programming.

As they had sex Cameron noticed that Gothic had lost weight, the product of recent actions, such as time spent travelling on foot in the wilderness. The Jumper had been active a lot without getting enough food.

The difference was not enough to cause great concern, but it should be dealt with soon, so Cameron quickly came up with a diet plan that should increase her master's body weight, which she could act on later.

Right now her attention needed to be letting her human owner enjoy himself so that he would sleep better tonight, and if he slept he'd stay in one place for hours to come, which made guarding him easier.

Cameron wouldn't mention this, but given that Gothic wasn't in bed with his wife right now meant that they'd had a disagreement upon his return. No doubt it had been about his long absence and the fact that Morgana had been left behind while the Jumper made productive use of his time.

The cyborg couldn't understand why Gothic allowed Morgana to deny him anything when Cameron herself certainly wouldn't, and she didn't think that she ever would no matter how many software updates she went through.

As they had sex, Cameron sensors were constantly monitoring Gothic's body temperature, heart rate and breathing rate. They were all elevated, but within acceptable parameters given what they were doing right now.

Cameron could focus on many things at one, and her main focus was on the fact that Gothic's penis was currently embedded in her vaginal passage. He had inserted it in there exactly 143 seconds ago.

The cyborg had control over her body in ways that no human could match, and she used this feature to keep her pussy as enjoyable as possible for her master. Not being sufficiently tight would result in insufficient friction as Gothic moved his cock in and out of her, which would reduce his pleasure.

This would not normally be a major concern as Cameron's first priority is Gothic's safety, not his pleasure. However the Terminator understood that sexual release was important for human males and so she put a lot of effort into making it as enjoyable as possible.

Also Cameron understood that if he failed to find this activity pleasurable, he may instead decide to engage in sexual intercourse with one of his other companions, rather than with her.

Which sometimes did happen, but Gothic had sexual intercourse more often with Cameron than anyone else, and she intended to ensure that this remained true as it was also her job to keep the Jumper happy.

As Gothic worked the muscles of his lower body, Cameron calculated the speed of his thrusts, as this was a good indication of how close he was to finishing. Unlike other females the cyborg cared nothing for own pleasure, as while she could feel, the objective of sex was to please Gothic by making sure he had his orgasm inside before too much time went by.

She was aware that the average frequency of Gothic's thrusting increased as he approached orgasm, she was almost always able to predict exactly when her master would achieve orgasm, and this allowed her to encourage the action verbally at the right time.

Cameron could react to outside stimuli, and this included pain and pleasure responses to an extent, this both allowed her mimic humans and to provide some instinctive protection in dangerous environments.

As such she did enjoy sex. However, it would endanger her mission if she were ever to be incapacitated by either agony or ecstasy: therefore the sensations were not nearly so overwhelming as those she has observed in humans, and she had an override function that could cut them off entirely if required.

She had no need to engage that override at present, so the artificial nerves within her sex organ were reporting the sensations of friction and pressure as pleasant ones, despite the fact that a human woman would not be enjoying this action as Gothic was being too rough.

As a cyborg Cameron was much sturdier than other females, and had been made to enjoy this type of fucking. The Jumper was physical stronger than most humans and as such had couldn't be to forceful while having sex with his more fragile companions. Not that he'd do any real harm, but they would find the experience uncomfortable.

Cameron was also pleased when Gothic fucked her because it meant that she keeping him safe while contributing to his mental and physical health, which was her whole reason for existing. In short, she was fulfilling her mission, which is the deepest source of satisfaction programmed into her.

Upon hearing Gothic say something rather dirty Cameron scrolled through her list of responses; none of them seemed quite adequate to express her submission towards the Jumper, but eventually she picked one. The entire process of choosing took her 0.13 seconds.

Some of her earlier attempts at dirty talk had been epic failures, ruining the mood for her master, lines such as: I enjoy having sex with you, and please fuck me 23 percent harder, hadn't been at all sexy. Nor had: I may not show it the same way as you, but I do feel pleasure and satisfaction when we have sex.

This time she chose right, and she could tell because Gothic was fucking her 23 percent harder, or 23.5 to be precise. Which wasn't as good as sex with the Jumper could get so she ran through her files for someway of increasing the pleasure.

Gathering the data required to better please Gothic had always a high priority for Cameron. Her memory files contained terabytes of information on human sexual activity she's personally gathered from a variety of sources.

This data let her now that that her efforts to vocalise softly, making little sighs and moans, was no longer enough, so increased the volume, now grunting and moaning like she'd heard other females do when fucked by Gothic

She began moving her hips up and down, while feeling his penis slide in and out of her, deeper and further as she pushes up to match him pushing down. Her vaginal sensors continue to report pleasurable sensations.

In the corner of Cameron's HUD, numbers appear: current time, estimated time of orgasm, and so on. Before long the counter reached zero and Gothic ejaculated deep inside her, just as Cameron wished him to.

Cameron couldn't orgasm, and she didn't bother to fake it, but she did feel a sense of satisfaction, or at least something close to it, and that was enough to make her smile. She also knew to say something dirty, and grateful sounding as well.

Her task was now complete, and she knew that it was best to say or do nothing until Gothic rolled off her and went to sleep. If he didn't fall asleep than Cameron would have to review her performance to ensure that nothing went wrong.

She didn't need to bother. Once her master was done, he was soon sleeping, which meant Cameron had performed her task, meeting her goals as expected. Now she would guard the human as he slept ensuring that no harm came to him.

(Line Break)

**Fort Dawnguard. Skyrim.**

I'd not had much time to sit down and take stock while here in the world of Elder Scrolls. Now that I had both time and space I was taking the chance to go over my computer files for this universe so that I could more effectively plan out what quests I would undertake.

I had to be careful so as not to get in the way of the Dragonborn, who the Greybeards had summoned recently, we'd heard their call even this far south, and also I didn't want to get involved with groups like the Dark Brotherhood or the Thieves Guild.

My current plan was still to join the College of Winterhold, should the world not come to an end. However all of that business could wait for now. I needed to start writing down more of what I could remember so that I could make better use of my time here.

_Gauldur Blackblade It can be obtained in the ruins of Folgunthur by defeating Mikrul Gauldurson during the quest "Forbidden Legend"_

There was also a bow if I recalled correctly that could be found in Geirmund's Hall. I didn't use a bow, but Forestwind did and her current one wasn't enchanted. Going there wouldn't be too much of a detour.

Aside from acquiring some more magical items I'd been considering a new look, one that incorporated the enchanted mask I'd gotten from one of the dragon priests. I was now picturing myself in something like what Darth Revan wore, light armour and robes, along with a mask.

The fact that I was even considering wearing such a thing just went to show how much my tastes had changed over the decades, and while it was natural for tastes to change over time I knew that being on this Jump Chain had changed me in ways I couldn't understand.

These days when I wasn't in my Dawnguard armour I wore variations on the outfit I'd designed for the Star Wars Jump. Which was a mixture of more modern style clothing and knightly armour.

I'd wear chain mail armour, worn under a black greatcoat. And my clothing would be made from thick layers of the Kull warrior material. I'd wear good solid boots, black trousers, and finger-less leather gloves.

This new outfit, assuming I made it, the robes would be made from Kull warrior material, and I'd find away to make use of superior chain mail material, but at the moment I couldn't fully picture what that would look like.

Not that it really mattered as for now I could keep wearing my Dawnguard armour over a layer of Kull Warrior material while ensuring that I was protected by Kinetic barriers and other defences.

What I should focus on was the vampire crisis and the fact that I'd upset Morgana. I was sure that she'd forgive me, but it might be wise of me to acquire a magical item for her as a gift to show that I did think about her when I was off having adventures.

The Ring of Pure Mixtures was a rare artifact that Frida's husband, the previous owner of the shop The Mortar and Pestle, which was situated in Dawnstar, had searched for many years. He'd died without ever having found it.

Thanks to use of the Asgard memory stone, a cool little tool that I hadn't need to use for some time, I recalled that the ring could be found in Forsaken Cave, which I felt sure was near Windhelm, and Forestwind should know where it was.

I would go into the cave and recover the ring for Morgana, it was a tool for alchemy and would serve her well as she learned that craft. Plus obtaining this ring for her would be a reminder of my affections towards her.

With this in mind I decided to head out now with my group so that I could gather the items before I got super busy trying to stop the vampires from destroying the world. I needed to find that Moth Priest sooner rather than later, so I little time to waste.

(Line Break)

**Shor's Stone. Skyrim.**

While we were going after the Moth Priest I'd decided to drive around in my armoured transport rather than to use the probes to teleport as this allowed for detours, and there was point me having come to this land if I didn't actually see it.

Sure there was a chance that I'd lose the Moth Priest to the vampires by not going directly to Dragon's Bridge, but I doubt that given how fast my Mako was, and if needs be I'd go south and get one from their temple.

Our first stop was a mining settlement named after the Nordic Chief of Gods: Shor. The town was situated on the Northern end of The Rift meaning that it wasn't too far from Riften, at least by Mako.

The main resource of Shor's Stone was Ebony, which was a rare metal in this land, and it something that I wanted to get a sample of before moving on. Ebony was a hard, durable, black substance that was said to be the petrified blood of a god. I didn't know if that was true, but I'd love to examine it.

I sought out the local blacksmith and asked him if he had any knowledge of working with ebony, which he did, and while I knew a lot about smithing I didn't know about working with ebony so I was eager to learn more.

"Tell you what, stranger" said the smith "You and your friends clear out Redbelly Mine and I'll tell you everything I know about working ebony, and even give you a sample of the ore for your own work".

Since that was a fair deal my companions and I headed into the mine, and right away we figured out that it was overrun with frostbite spiders because some of them attack us. Cameron withdrew a hand held disruptor and vaporised the beasts before they got anywhere near me.

"Stay here" instructed the terminator "I will deal with the pests".

Forestwind and I stayed at the top of the mine while Cameron got to work. Serana was remaining inside the Mako in order to avoid the sunlight.

"Don't vaporise the big one!" I called out "They might want proof it was dead, so use your sword!".

This would no trouble for my bodyguard as she now had a cool magic sword, and this would be a good time to try it out.

"I don't think you should strip us and chain us up in here to do some mining" the Bosmer said.

Hearing this confused me.

"You were picturing it when you were creating me" the Bosmer explained "I guess that Jump Chan read your thoughts so that she could get a better idea of who you wanted me to be".

I had been fantasising about naked girls doing mining when coming with Forestwind. The fact that Jump Chan was reading my mind should have bothered me, but given what had happened on my Jumps so far it didn't bother me and nor did it surprise me.

Once Cameron was done clearing out the mine, which didn't take long as it wasn't that big we headed out into the fresh air and I sought out the smith.

"You're already done?" he asked.

I nodded.

"My groups dealt with frostbite spiders before" I said to the man "You might want to get some people in there to clear out any egg sacs we missed".

The smith was impressed, and soon started giving me my reward

"Ebony can only be worked when heated" he started the lesson by saying "It will develop small cracks that eventually shatter the material if hammered cold. Unlike most other armors, Ebony will not alloy with iron. It must be used pure".

While I knew that Cortana was recording all of this I made sure to play close attention. This knowledge could prove very useful in the future.

(Line Break)

**Geirmund's Hall. Skyrim.**

Since it was still a sunny day Serana had decided to stay in the Mako while the rest of us went into the creepy looking cave in order to do some Dungeon Delving. She could have come with us as the exposer to daylight would have been limited, but she chose not to.

"Not much of a hall, is it?" Cameron said

"What do you mean?" asked Forestwind,

"This place is called a Hall, but it doesn't look anything like a hall," Cameron explained "It's more of a… a hole. Or just a cave".

No one responded to this, so we proceeded further in. Looking around it became clear that this place was no Bleak Falls Barrow that was for sure.

Upon entrance, the only immediate threat was a swarm of skeevers, basically giant rats that lived the darker, danker places in Skyrim, as most rats generally do. On their own, they didn't pose much of a threat but the trouble was they were never alone and they carried debilitating diseases on their teeth which would catch if you were bitten.

Luckily, the three of us were more than a match for them and they had been swiftly reduced to vapor before they could even sink their teeth into our flesh. Not that they could have bitten use through our armour.

After that we all jumped down the big hole that Cameron had been commenting on before, an began wading until we found a room. There wasn't much in the room, just a few urns and a soul gem which we did take.

The next room contained a puzzle which was easy enough to solve. The symbols on the left wall had to be matched with those on the left side of the cave and the same for the right side. After we had lined up eagle, dolphin, snake, dolphin, the door opened for us and we proceeded on

In the next part of this dungeon we each took on a draugr that came to meet us. Fortunately, they was still no match for me. I avoided a blow, pulled out my own lightsaber and drove it into the chest of the undead thing.

Amazingly that didn't end the fight and the undead thing said something to me that I couldn't understand because I didn't think it was making any sense. I suspected that draugr had been mummified to some extent and that it had no heart to destroy.

I retorted with my telekinetic powers sending him flying off my weapon. This time the undead thing didn't say or do anything. I'd broken the thing's next, and that did seem to matter.

In the main chamber we found the body of the Arch-Mage Geirmund, who lay inside a cold stone slab before what I assumed to be exit. Luckily, he wasn't moving around like his fellows.

"This doesn't seem right" I muttered.

Dungeon diving in Skyrim normally took longer than this, there should be more traps and creatures to fight, or simply more rooms. I'd noticed the lack of loot when compared to the game, and I'd put that down to other adventures getting here before me, but this was different, it was as if the real Skyrim was both bigger and smaller than it should be.

Perhaps it was just my exceptions that had been either too big or too small. Real life had a way of disappointing you while also some times being more bizarre than fiction. I'd learned that lesson a few times in my travels.

Just then the coffin lid was kicked off and horn-helmeted, heavily armoured draugr emerged from the coffin, before drawing an ancient sword and leering at us. I could see a glowing amulet hanging around his neck. While I'd not come for that I would take it as I might have time to unite the pieces of the amulet before leaving this world.

"Sigdis Gaulderson, I presume" I said "We're here for your bow".

Rather than reply the undead thing vanished in a flash of purple light the instant we tried to rush him. I could have sworn I heard him chuckle at us as he did.

"Where is he?" Forestwind wondered.

"There!" Cameron called out as she pointed at "Also there, and there".

On each of the three platforms, there was a draugr that looked identical to the Gaulderson. From this distance though, it was impossible to tell which one was the real one. And since the undead barely registered with the Force I didn't bother trying to detect the real thing.

"Duck!" I ordered.

As my females did as they were told at least two of the drauger were drawing bows, and I threw my lightsaber, triggering the blade after it left my hand, and destroying a copy almost instantly whilst a moment later I struck down the other. The last one had to be the real thing, and my saber was just about to cut the undead thing in half.

_"FUS-RO-DAH!"_

The use of the Unrelenting Force sent me staggering to the floor, along with my companions. By the time we recovered, our foe had vanished, but we only had to wait a few seconds before he reappeared, once again making copies of himself.

Cameron and my Bosmer took two of them out with arrows and energy blast fired from a disruptor as I recovered my weapon, but we were again brought to the ground from the use of his shout, giving him enough time to teleport away again.

However the third time he teleported in with copies, one of the Sigdis's we hit was the real one, as he staggered as I slammed him with the Force.

"Cameron shoot him... damn it, not again!" I said.

He vanished just as we prepared another attack. We tried quickly to take out the copies, but he was just moving too fast for us to get a good shot at him, keeping us confused and annoyed.

"How are we supposed to hit him when we don't even know which one he is?" asked the Bosmer.

Rather than reply I let go, surrendering control of my body, and I threw my lightsaber once again, and this time the blade ended up removing the head of the real monster.

I waited a few moments to make sure he wasn't somehow still going, and then went over to the body. Doing my own dirty work for once, I reached out my telekinetic powers and plucked the amulet fragment off his neck stump, placing it my pouch of holding. I could feel its power, but it was complete yet, and perhaps never would be.

After that I recovered the bow that we had come here for, and handed it over Forestwind, whose smile let me know that she very much like her new toy, and that she would find a way to thank me for it later on.

(Line Break)

**Dragon Bridge. Skyrim.**

After parking the Mako nearby so that noise of it wouldn't drive the locals in a frantic state, they'd likely think that some massive monster was about to attack, my women and I approached the settlement on foot.

While it wasn't yet night time the sun was low enough in the sky that Serana could move about comfortably, and so she'd decided to join us. Again I had to wonder what would become of her after we prevented the vampire crisis. She wasn't exactly close to her family and her father would have to die, so should I offer to take her with me?

I had no love for vampires, but Serana wasn't like the others that I'd encountered. Plus there was a cure for condition, and if she took it, she'd still have value to me as she was an experienced magic user. But this was still something to worry about later.

The small village was fairly quiet, only a few people were about people doing their errands, and there were a few guards patrolling. I decided to try my luck with one of the guardsmen.

"Yes stranger?" the guard said before I could speak "How may I help you?".

I felt certain that the man I was looking for was around here somewhere.

"Do you know anything about a Moth Priest visiting Dragon Bridge?" I inquired "The Dawnguard need his help".

As luck would have it I was right.

"Ah, so that was a Moth Priest eh" the guard said "He rode through town not long ago with an escort of soldiers. They headed south if that helps".

I thanked the guard and soon I was running, the others following me as I ran in the direction the guard had told us to go. I knew that the Moth Priest was in danger, and that I had to get to him quickly so I called up the Force.

(Line Break)

**Road. Skyrim.**

Soon we came across an overturned carriage, a dead horse and a few equally dead Imperial Guards. Also there was a empty pile of clothes nearby which suggested that someone had slain a vampire, and that the ashes had blown away in the wind.

"Looks like an ambush" I muttered.

Given the damage done and the dead guards I guessed that a few vampires had been involved. Strong ones too as overturning a carriage wasn't as easy as most people might imagine it to be.

"Gothic, come and take a look at this!" Serana called out.

Quickly I walked over to the vampire, and she held out a piece of paper, which I then read.

_'I have new orders for you. Prepare an ambush south of Dragon Bridge. Take the Moth Priest to Forebears Holdout for safekeeping until I can break his will. Malkus'_

On the back of the letter was a map which showed the bridge and the Holdout, which was very fortunate for us as it wasn't too far.

"Cameron go and get the Mako, and then met us at Forebears Holdout" I instructed.

Other than myself, Cameron was the only one in my group that could drive the Mako having learned at a very fast pace just by watching me. Plus she knew not to terrorise the locals with it.

"The rest of us will find the Moth Priest" I said.

With that we are on the move again.

(Line Break)

**Forebears Holdout. Skyrim.**

Serana, Forestwind, and I entered the cave to find a huge passage, after that there was a cavern and some stone architecture. Which was pretty standard from what I remembered from playing the game. A lot of Skyrim societies seemed to have built underground, either that or a lot of civilisation had been buried by time.

Without being seen Serana. Forestwind and I were able to observe some vampires who were further inside this underground place, and we saw two of those evil hound things which were much closer to the entrance. I also spotted a magical barrier in the distance.

"Take out the dogs first" I ordered "and try not to make any noise while you do it.

The dog things immediately died. Thanks to a well aimed arrow and a very sharp ice spike.

"Follow me" was my next command.

I quietly killed, or at least disabled, two vampires by snapping their necks with my mind powers before making it up the stairs of a tower, and doing that allowed me to see three vampires who were standing in front of a magical barrier. I saw that there was a man in white robes trapped within the magical spell. I guessed the poor sod was the Moth Priest.

"How much longer can you keep this up, Priest?" I heard an Orc vampire say "Your mind is strong, but you're exhausted from the struggle".

As the vamp talked, Serena, Forestwind and I began to move closer to the three blood drinkers. They were so focused on the Priest that they hadn't even noticed the dogs or their fellow vampires being killed.

"Must resist…" the man inside the barrier moaned.

He was putting up a good effort, but judging by the strain in the man's voice he wouldn't last much longer.

"Yes, I can feel your defences crumbling" the undead Orc was now saying "You want it to end and to give in to me. Now acknowledge me as your master!".

Senara, Forestwind and I were now much closer, but not quite ready to strike.

"Yes… master…"the man said.

The Moth Priest had stopped struggling.

"We attack now" I decided "One each, the Orc is mine".

Serana had already sprang out from our hiding place, rushed into battle and engaged them. Serana shot bolts of lightning and used ice spikes against one the vampires. She managed to kill one very quickly and my Bosmer used her new bow to with the other, so soon there was just the Orc left to worry about.

Since I needed to refill the black star I cast soul trap and then as the vampire charged me I drove him his knees by breaking the bones in his legs with my near-ascended powers. After that I took out my lightsaber and removed his head. His soul went into the artefact that I moved to my free hand.

"I can bring down this barrier" Serana said.

The magic barrier started to dissipate.

"And since he's enthralled, expect him to try and kill us," Serana warned me.

Serana was right. After the barrier disappeared, the Moth Priest moved to attack.

"I serve my master's will" the man said "But my master is dead, and his enemies will pay!".

The Moth Priest charged at us, and was getting ready to launch a fireball by the looks of things, but I got to him faster before he could and slapped him across the face. The old man fell to the ground. I felt bad about hitting an old man, but had needed to be done.

"Wait stop, I yield!" the Moth Priest cried out as he regained his senses. That… wasn't me you were fighting. I could see through my eyes, but I could not control my actions".

I'd figured that a good shock to the system, like a slap across the face would snap him out of it since the priest had been able to resist so well I'd guessed that the control over him wasn't that strong.

"Thank you for breaking that vampire's hold over me," the Moth Priest then said.

I helped the old man up off the ground.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Yes, I am thanks to you" he answered "My name is Dexion Evicus. I'm a Moth Priest from the White Gold Tower. These vampires claimed that they had some purpose in store for me, but they wouldn't say what. Probably to ransom me, the fools".

I knew this wasn't the case so I explained some of what was really going on.

"They didn't want you for ransom" I told the old man "They wanted you for the very same reason we do".

Naturally the Moth Priest became concerned.

"You do?" Dexion asked "What do you want with me?".

Again I explained at least part of what was going on.

"We're with a group known as the Dawnguard" I told Dexion "and we need you to read an Elder Scroll".

The man's expression went from one of concern to an almost child like wonder.

"You have an Elder Scroll? Remarkable!" Dexion shouted "If my knowledge does not fail me, I recall that the Dawnguard was an ancient order of vampire hunters. I will be happy to assist you by reading your Elder Scroll. Just tell me, where do I need to go?".

From what I knew, the Dawnguard had been forgotten for a long time, so for this man to know of that group meant he'd been very well educated.

"The rest of us are Fort Dawnguard, in Dayspring Canyon" I told the man "But I think its best if we go with you in case another group of vampires kidnap you again".

This offer was accepted.

"Very well, lead on," Dexion replied "and on the way you can tell me why you have a vampire working with you and what world you come from".

I wondered what he'd make of the Mako when he saw it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Jump Chain Gothic 7**** \- Skyrim 1 - Dawnguard**

**Part 9**

**Fort Dawnguard.**

The trip back to Fort Dawnguard had gone without any sort of problems, as while there were no shortage of bandits and monsters around there wasn't much they could do someone who drove around in a tank.

I had re-entered Fort Dawnguard while very much looking forward to cleaning up and resting after my latest mission. I'd also taken the time to recover the ring of Pure Mixtures on the way back to the fortress, and while I felt a little bad for not giving it to that old woman in Dawnstar, I knew that Morgana would get more use of it.

Thankfully Isran had granted us some time to get some sleep before the Moth Priest took a look at the Elder Scroll. There had not been away of telling when a warm bed would be available to me again so I'd taken the chance to get a solid eight hours of sleep while I could. As a Force User I could keep going for days without sleep, but I was more worn out than normal.

While at the fort Serana stayed close to me as much as possible, as clearly she didn't trust Isran nor the rest of the Dawnguard for that matter. In turn they avoided her at all cost. A few of them even acted as she wasn't even there.

That had made it tricky to fall asleep last night, as she'd been in the room with me, but I had somehow managed to close my eyes even while a vampire was in the room. It helped a lot that Cameron had been there to keep an eye on the vamp.

While we'd made up Morgana had still slept in a different room than me, and had spent most of the night performing alchemy experiments. Not that I blamed here as there was a lot of stuff for her to study.

Now I was in Irsan's study, standing around while waiting for the Moth Priest to do this thing

"I'm impressed you could find a Moth Priest so quickly" the leader of the Dawnguard said.

Isran had a strange way of making people feel as though they were being reprimanded when he was actually complimenting them.

"Is everything ready?" I asked.

Isran nodded.

"For the reading? Yes" he told me "Just let the old man know when you're ready".

I looked over at Dexion who smiled at me as he finished mentally preparing himself to read the scroll.

"Did these guys treat you okay?" I asked.

Dexion's smile became less cheery.

"It's not exactly the hospitality I'm used to" he told me "but your friend Isran has seen to my needs well enough. And might I add, this is a remarkable fortress. I have colleagues back home that would love to study this place in detail".

Since I wasn't planning on staying any longer in this reality than I needed to as the dragons might still end this world I wasn't going to concern myself with the Dawnguard's future any more than I had to, even if I somehow ended up in charge. So if someone got around to studying this place or not, it was none of my business.

"Are you prepared to read the scroll?" I asked.

His smile let me know he was before he said anything

"Oh, most certainly!" the old man answered "Let me find out what secrets the scroll can tell us"

Serana reached out and handed Dexion the Elder Scroll. Dexion held the scroll at arms length and glanced around the room. He was nervous, as he should be. Reading the scroll, it would cost him something of that I was sure. Most likely his eyesight.

"If everyone could please be quiet." Dexion requested, "I need to concentrate".

He unrolled the scroll and began describing what he saw.

"I see a vision before me, an image of a great bow. I know this weapon!" Dexion exclaimed. "It is Auriel's Bow!

With a glance Serana indicated to me she too knew about the bow. I also did, and since I wasn't surprised to hear it mentioned in the scroll I didn't react.

"Now a voice whispers, saying 'Among the night's children, a dread lord will rise'" Dexion said, his voice rather chilling.

There was no mistaking what that meant or whom the scroll was talking about.

"In an age of strife, when the dragons return to the realm of men, darkness will mingle with light and the night will be as one" the priest then said.

The dragon part made it clear that Harkon was going to act soon as this was an age of dragons, however we still didn't know exactly what his plan was. Even I only knew that it involved using a magic bow and Serana's blood, and that this would somehow blot out the sun, I really wished that I'd played through the DLC more than one. Even my enhanced memory had trouble recalling events in a video game that I'd last played decades ago.

"The voice fades and it's words begin to… shimmer and distort" Dexion whispered.

By the sounds of things he was straining to hear whatever it was the scroll was telling him.

"But wait, there is more here" he then said. "The secret of the bow's power is written elsewhere. I think there is more to the prophecy, and it is recorded in another scroll".

Dexion paused for a moment.

"Yes, I see it now. It speaks of the potency of ancient blood" Dexion informed us.

He wasn't done just yet, but he was close.

"My vision darkens," he was now saying "And I see no more".

He sounded as if he was sad that the reading had ended.

"To know the complete prophecy, we must have the other scroll" we were then told.

That was when I noticed that reading the scroll already seemed to have taxed the priest. He looked pale and very tired.

"I must rest now. The reading has made me weary" Dexion said with a sigh.

At least we had an idea of what to do next. Although I had no idea where to look for an Elder Scroll. Actually that wasn't true I knew where there was an Elder Scrolls, but that was the one the Dragonborn would go after.

I dimly recalled something to do with the Soul Carin, but that was all I had on the subject. I really should have added more to the files back when I'd been in the Mass Effect verse, but to be fair I had detailed information on hundreds of settings.

"Come on old man, let's get you to bed" Isran said, with surprisingly kindness.

As the Dawnguard leader lead the priest out of the room, I turned to look at Serana.

"Something on your mind?" I asked.

She nodded

"Dexion said we needed another Elder Scroll. I think I know where we can start looking" Serana told me.

I was glad to her that, but also a little confused.

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" I wondered.

I soon got an answer.

"Half the people in this fortress would just soon kill me as talk to me" she pointed out "You didn't even invite me into your bed last night. I did everything short of throwing myself at you, and you have your weird metal girl watching me".

I didn't know what to say at this point. Clearly Serana knew that I had a very open marriage. Jump Chan must have given her the full upload.

"You know I've been without company for centuries" the vampire was now saying "A woman has needs".

She sighed before speaking again.

"I've gotten more affection from my father, than anyone else since I woke up, and that's saying something" she then said.

Sensing an opportunity to direct the conversation away from matters of sex I grasped it.

"What is it between you two?" I inquired "I get that you don't like your father, but I think there's more going on between you than a difference of opinion".

My own father than been absent for almost my entire life, but I knew enough about the relationships between fathers and children to know that Harkon was not going to get a Number One Dad mug anytime soon.

"Ever since he decided to make that prophecy his calling in life, we have kind of drifted apart" Serana said "I don't think he even sees me as his daughter anymore. I'm just a means to an end for him".

I was now having sympathetic feelings towards her. I didn't like it as she was a vampire, and for all my alterations I was still basically human, and to a vampire a human was walking, talking meal.

"Anyways, we need to find my mother, Valerica" the female vampire was now saying "She'll definitely know where it is. And if we're lucky, she'll have it with her".

I now had a question.

"Do you know where your mother went?" I asked.

Serana seemed unsure.

"The last time I saw her, she said that she'd go somewhere safe… somewhere that my father would never search. Other than that, she wouldn't tell me anything" she reported "But the way she said it 'someplace he would never search', It was cryptic, yet I think it was a clue".

She then went on to say more.

"But I can't imagine a single place that my father would avoid looking" Serana said with a shrug "Or at least send his lackeys to search".

A smile crossed my face when I figured it out. I only vague memories of the DLC, but it was enough.

"She's at your father's castle" I told the vampire "Hiding right under his nose. He'd never both looking in his own house".

Serana's eyes widened

"There's a courtyard in the castle. I used to help her tend the garden there. All the ingredients for our potions came from there. She used to say that my father couldn't stand the place" the vamp said "I don't think she's there, but she might have left a trail for me to follow".

Hopefully my few memories of the game were correct. Finding her mother did involve a sundial and a garden I was sure.

"They aren't going to let me walk in through the front door" I pointed out "Not that I would be stupid enough to try".

Serana snorted in amusement.

"True" she agreed "But I know a way we can get to the courtyard without causing an alarm. There's an unused inlet on the northern side of the island that was used by the previous owners to bring supplies into the castle. An old escape tunnel from the castle exits out there. I think that's our way in".

Sneaking into places was something I could do.

"I'll need to gather a few things and then we'll be off" I decided as we made our way back to the room I'd slept in last night "Hold on we don't have to swim, do we?"

The vampire was amused.

"Yes we will" she told me.

I could swim, but I really didn't want to if I could avoid as the water in Skyrim was freezing cold. Also Cameron couldn't swim, so I would have to use my powers to levitate her, or maybe I could leave in the warehouse, and recover her once we inside the castle and could find a door. She might be able to climb out of the water like before, but there was no need for that if it could be avoided.

(Line Break)

**Harkon's Castle. Skyrim. **

I gingerly moved into the water and grimaced as the cold penetrated my skin. From behind me I heard Serana giggle, she found my discomfort to amusing for some reason, and to make thing worse she wasn't effected by the cold.

Forestwind and Cameron weren't here as I'd put Cameron into stasis inside the warehouse, and Forestwind was off on a mission to gather alchemy supplies. Which wasn't as important as this quest, but since we'd be entering the Soul Carin I didn't think it was a good idea to take the Bosmor with me. Besides I could look after myself.

When we got out of the water I saw a few roaming skeletons, some sort of zombie guard, but they weren't very effective so I figured they'd been placed here a while ago, and then forgotten about. Serana dispatched them quickly and reanimated the skeletons before I'd finished drying myself off with the towels I'd replicated just this morning.

"Nicely done" I praised.

I then quickly took my armour out of my bag and put it back on. Serana disapproved of this judging by her expression, she clearly been without sex for a good long while if a nearly naked half frozen man was a thrill to look at.

Not long after we got inside the castle I heard a guttural growl echoed through the tunnel, and soon a vampire leaped out at us. The vampire had a mace which it used to shatter the skeletons in short order.

Then it came after us. Serana moved quickly to one side, dodging a lunging attack. She continued to dance around the vampire's attacks until she saw an opening. Then she drove a knife, that she'd picked up somewhere along the way, into the vampire's heart. Unlike a living being, the vampire did not bleed to death, rather it began dissipating into ash.

"I thought we came this way so we wouldn't trip any alarms" I said "or run into anyone".

Senara smirked.

"Trust me if my father knew we were here we'd already have been captured" she said.

Rather than exchange any more words the two of us continued to creep through the cobweb filled hallways. Along the way we dispatched a few zombies and skeletons, but there was no real resistance.

I soon realised that the creatures we'd encountered were not in fact guards, they were actually the dregs of the vampire society. The undead things down here had been abandoned long ago, left to rot until we destroyed them.

Finally, we came upon a barren courtyard, and I noticed how disheartened Serana looked at this discovery.

"Oh no…" she said quietly "What happened to this place?".

It had been neglected for some time judging by the state of the place. Serana stared silently, unable to say or do anything. I guess that this place had really set into perspective just how long she had been gone.

"This was my mother's garden" the vamp said "She would have hated to see it like this,"

What had my attention was the massive sundial that was set in the stone floor. It was a little tarnished and some of the hour markers were missing.

As I looked at the hour markers more closely, I could see each of them reflected the waning and waxing of the moon. Which made sense as vampires didn't like sunlight, so a normal sundial would be useless to them. Which I figured made this some sort of moon dial.

"Something's wrong with the moon dial" my vampire ally said, confirming that I'd named the object correctly "Some of the crests are missing and the dial is askew. I didn't even know the crests could be removed".

Serana stared at it a moment, and I could tell that she was deep in thought.

"Maybe my mother's trying to tell us something?" the living dead girl mused.

What that could be I didn't exactly know, my memories of all this were hazy as ever, but I was sure that this object was the key.

"Let's start by finding the pieces" I suggested "then we can try solving the puzzle".

Serana looked at me and nodded, before she started looking around.

It didn't take us long to find the pieces and once all of them were placed, Serana began twisting them in place. Finally something stirred. The moon dial began to move on its axis and stairs were revealed.

"A passageway. I should have expected nothing less," Serana said, while shaking her head in amusement.

Quickly we made our way down the stairs and soon we ended up moving through what remained of a dining hall filled with gargoyles and skeletons. The skeletons were all sitting at the table. Only they didn't remain sitting for long.

I had no trouble breaking the skeletons apart with my mental powers, I blasted them against the walls, the floor and sometimes the ceiling.

Next some gargoyles joined in with the fun. Serana's ranged magic dealt with them easily enough. When her mana started running low I finished the gargoyles off by using my telekinetic powers to hit with bits of the furniture.

After dealing with few more pesky skeletons and monsters, we found another smaller dining hall, as well as more gargoyles, and I was left wondering why this castle had so many dining rooms, but then I realised the servants, guards and nobility must have eaten separately.

At least all these doorways allowed me to enter the warehouse and recover Cameron. For this outing she'd decided to wear her Dawnguard armour, as I had, with an layer of Kull Warrior material under it, also like me.

As for weapons, she was carrying her enchanted blade, a Mass Effect pistol which used incendiary rounds, and her new crossbow. She explained that while vaporising our foes was effective there was an increased chance of friendly fire now that I spend some much time fighting with my lightsaber or sword while in confined spaces.

Which I didn't argue with as my defences might not prevent me from being vaporised. Plus we were going through power cells at an alarming rate, and we didn't have unlimited resources. Heat sinks were much easier to replicate.

Before long we entered through a raised and rusted iron gate, we found the ruins of what I would call a church. At the heart of it was a broken statue. This was an odd thing to find in a castle full of vampires as holy places made them uncomfortable.

Then I remember that Serana's family hadn't always been vampires and they hadn't always worshipped Molag Bal, at some point in the distant past they would have worshipped the Divines like most other people did.

Plus I remembered Serena mentioning that the castle had former residences. They must have been a powerful lot to create such a large fortress. I wondered if they had ways of building fortresses in this world that involved magic.

"Hold on was this a temple to Mara?" I asked.

Serana looked around the room and nodded, but said nothing on the topic. Not that she really needed to as the symbol of that goddess could be seen on the altar. I'd played Skyrim enough to know it when I saw it.

"There should be a switch somewhere" the vampire then told me.

I walked around the room, and soon found the switch, which I used to open up another hidden passage, this place seemed to have as many Hogwarts, in fact given how large this hidden part of the castle was it shouldn't have gone unnoticed by the people living in it, so I wouldn't be surprised if magic had been used to hide it. Perhaps magic had even made this section of the castle bigger inside than it was without.

The room that lay inside was some sort alchemist's lab. At the centre of the room was a metal device similar to the moon dial from the courtyard only much larger.

"Look at this place" the vamp at my side called out in wonder "This has to be it! I know she was deep into necromancy, but I had no idea she had a setup like this!".

Serana was marvelling at the room, which was filled with alchemy supplies both common and rare if I was any judge. Also there were also bookshelves along one of the corner walls that were completely filled with musty books.

What interested me was the mammoth skull that was mounted on one of the walls, it was bigger than the doors so I wondered how it had gotten into the room. I also wondered what had happened to the rest of skeleton. Then I decided that I really didn't want to know.

When I turned to glance at Serana I found that she was looking over the alchemy lab as well as the stocked shelves

"Look at all this," she said, sounding completely blown away "the potions I could make".

She then looked down at the circular design at the centre of the room.

"And what's this thing?" she asked herself "I'm not sure about this circle, but it's…something."

Then she faced me.

"Let's look around. There has to be something here that tells us where she's gone," Serana said, "My mother was meticulous about her research. If we can find her notes, there might be something that can tell where she has gone".

(Line Break)

**Harkon's Castle. Skyrim.**

"Gothic come see what I found" Serena requested.

I went over to the vampire and saw that she had found a collection of notes.

"My mother has gone to the Soul Cairn," Serana said ominously.

I couldn't recall much about it.

"What is the Soul Cairn?" I asked the vamp.

Rather than answer right away she reached into her pouch of holding and pulled out an empty soul gem, which she then held it out for me to look at.

"This is soul gem" she said "I assume you know what they are for".

I nodded to confirm that I did.

"Ever wonder where the souls inside these go after they're used?" Serana enquired.

Truthfully I hadn't spent much time thinking about such things. I tried not to as I knew that the souls captured didn't end up in nice afterlife. Which was why I'd only captured vampires souls as I knew that they ended up in Cold Harbour, and that was a basically Hell, so sending them to a different Hell didn't bother me.

"Basically when a soul gem is used to enchant something the soul is transferred to the Soul Carin and in exchange you get an enchanted object" it was explained.

I understood.

"So your mother went to the place that souls go to when someone uses a soul gem" I summarised "but she went there physically".

Serana nodded.

"We need to gather some ingredients" the vamp went on to say "It appears my mother was able to create a portal to the Soul Cairn. I should have foreseen this, she was also so obsessed with the place"

She paused for a moment and then grimaced.

"From what I understand, the Soul Cairn is a terrible place" she was now saying "My mother went there to escape my father and to protect me. Gothic, I can't ask you to follow me there".

I didn't see the big deal. Besides how bad could the Soul Cairn be?

(Line Break)

**The Soul Cairn. **

There was a cold wind that seemed to be blowing through my body more than around it, but that didn't trouble me nearly as much as how the place looked. The swirling purple sky was filled with clouds that were unnatural in my view. The ground was little better as this place was lifeless.

Out in the distance looked to be a vast ruined city, but it was hard to tell due to all the haze. Purplish light flowed from the towers to the sky. I could even make out what looked like large fragments of rock floating in the air.

While we had only just crossed into the Soul Cairn I already questioning this decision. I was now starting to feel weaker as if something was leeching my strength, but I didn't let that stop me from doing what we'd come here to do.

I decided not to reach for the Force as I didn't think it would exist here, and I didn't want to know what that absence felt like. I didn't my best to shut down all but the normal senses a human had in order to better deal with the effect this place had on me.

"Are you alright" Serena asked me.

I only nodded in reply.

"Why is it I don't believe you?" she then asked "I know something is wrong. Talk to me".

I explained the problem and for a moment I thought that Cameron would drag me out of this place, but she took no action, she didn't seem affected at all. I wondered if that meant she was a soulless thing.

Rather than talk about that I looked around and saw what I guessed to be a path.

"Let's just get going" I said "The sooner we find your mother the better",

As we travelled I saw a few of the lost souls that wandered the Soul Cairn. None of them bothered us, which was good because right now I was in no state to fight.

"What are you going to say to her?" I asked Serana, more to distract myself than anything else "Your mother I mean. She did lock you away for centuries. I'd super pissed if anyone did that to me".

Serana stopped walking.

"I don't know" she admitted "I've been trying to think of what to say. When she put me in that tomb she promised it wouldn't be for long. She told me that she would figure out a way to stop my father".

Serana sighed before speaking again.

"I guess we will just have to see what happens" she then said.

(Line Break)

**The Soul Cairn. **

When we found her mother Serana she seemed happy, or at least excited to see her again.

"Mother!" she shouted.

Serana ran to the top of the stairs and placed her hands against the glowing barrier, which was all that stood between her and her mother.

"Mother!" Serana shouted again.

I then saw an older vampire walk out of the shadows and up to the barrier.

"It can't be, Serana?" the vamp said "Is it really you? I can't believe it".

My presence was totally ignored, as was Cameron, but she normally went unnoticed as she tried to be unseen, and I noticed that Valerica didn't appear as happy to see her daughter.

I wondered that Serana felt at seeing her mother for the first time in what could be thousands of years. I might have been tempted to use my power of Force Empathy to find out if we'd been somewhere else.

"Serana" the older vampire said "What are you doing here? Where is your father?".

Valerica's tone told me what she had no love for Harkon, not that anyone should.

"He doesn't know we're here" Serana answered "and I don't have time to explain".

She was right about that. I was feeling weak, if we stayed here I was sure I could die. Or maybe I'd end back in my home universe. This place fed on souls, and I didn't know how that would work with me. I'd rather not find out.

"I must have failed" Valerica said as she looked away from Serana "Harkon must have found a way to decipher the prophecy, hasn't he?"

Not as far as I knew.

"No, Mother, you got this all wrong." Serana replied "We're here to stop him, to make everything right."

That was when the older vamp seemed to notice me for the first time.

"So how has it come to pass that a vampire hunter is in the company of my daughter?" she demanded to know. "It pains me to think you'd travel with Serana under the guise of her protector in an effort to hunt me down".

That wasn't what was happening here.

"I freed Serana from the place you imprisoned her in" I pointed out "and I have no desire to slay you. I just want to stop Harkon".

My personal distaste for vampires didn't overpower my desire to protect this world, and myself.

"I find it hard to believe your intentions are noble" the older vampire replied "Serana has sacrificed everything to prevent Harkon from completing the Tyranny of the Sun prophecy. I would have expected her to explain that to you".

She had more to say.

"You think I'd have the cruelty to place my own daughter in that tomb for the protection of her Elder Scroll alone?" the vampire asked before answering her own question "The scrolls are merely a means to an end. The key to the Tyranny of the Sun is Serana herself."

The older looking vampire had more to say.

"When I fled Castle Volkihar, I fled with two Elder Scrolls. The scroll you found with Serana speaks of Auriel and his arcane weapon, Auriel's Bow. The second scroll declares that 'The Blood of Coldharbour's Daughter will blind the eye of the Dragon'"

The tale wasn't over yet.

"Like myself, Serana was a human. Once we worshipped the Divines, but we became devout followers of Lord Molag Bal" I was told "Tradition dictated that female worshippers be offered to Molag Bal on his summoning day. Few survive the ordeal. Those that do emerge as a pure-blooded vampire. We are called the 'Daughters of Coldharbour'".

I was not surprised to hear that. I already knew that Harkon needed the blood of a pure vampire, a daughter of Cold Harbour, a female vampire that had been created by Molog Bal. Serena was such vampire.

While my memory was fuzzy I assumed that the bow had to anointed with the blood of a pure female vampire or something like that so the weapon was tainted enough to put out the sun.

"The Tyranny of the Sun requires Serana's blood" I summerised "the blood of a Daughter of Coldhabour. Which means Harkon would need to sacrifice his own child to complete his mad plans".

"Now you're beginning to see why I wanted to protect my daughter, and why I've kept the other Elder Scroll as far from her as possible" Serana's mother said "If Harkon obtained Auriel's Bow and Serana's blood was used to taint the weapon, the Tyranny of the Sun would be complete. In his eyes, she'd be dying for the good of all vampires".

Some people really shouldn't be allowed to become parents. Harkon was an example of such a person.

"Well we can't let that happen" I stated.

The sun being bloated out would be the end off all life on Nirn. The planet would freeze, the plant life would die, then so would the animals. Including the smart ones like humans.

"And how exactly do you plan on stopping him?" Valerica wished to know.

I could think of a few ways. Killing Serana would do the job as she'd turn to ash, leaving no blood to be used in whatever ritual it was that would blot out the sun. Destroying the bow might also work. However there was a better way.

"Well we could kill Harkon" I suggested.

Valerica snorted.

"If you believe you can do that, then you're a bigger fool than I originally suspected" she said "Don't you think I weighed that option before I enacted my plans?"

I'd assumed she was a coward and had just run away. Of course she didn't know anything about my powers, my skills, or my weapons.

"I'm a Jumper" I told the older vampire "I have powers, skills and weapons that allow me to fight even the most powerful of foes and win. Besides I wasn't planning on doing it alone. There's a small army of vampire hunters I should be able to convince to aid me".

Valerica turned to her daughter.

"Serana?" she told.

The younger of the two vamps smiled at me before saying anything.

"He has power" she said "and there are other vampire hunters out there".

If needs be I'd blow up Harkon's entire castle, but that would be a last resort since I could never be sure that the master vampire was dead unless I saw him die.

"Killing Harkon sounds like a step in the right direction, but we still need your scroll" I said to the older vampire "Auriel's Bow can't be allowed to fall into his hand".

Valerica huffed.

"Hmph. You care nothing for Serana, or our plight. You're a vampire hunter" she said "We're abominations in your mind".

Well she wasn't wrong.

"I don't particularly care if you trust me" I replied

Valerica snarled at me.

"Why should I aid someone who would hunt me down like an animal?" Valerica demanded "How can I trust you with my daughter's safety".

Serena spoke next

"He's done more to help me so far than you have" she said to her mother.

Valerica was not happy to hear that.

"How dare you! I gave up everything I cared about to protect you from that fanatic you call a father!" she yelled

The older vampire then made an effort to clam down.

"Oh Serana," Valerica said with a sigh. "The moment your father discovers your role in the prophecy, that he needs your blood, you'll be in terrible danger".

My ally didn't seem to care about that.

"So to protect me, you decided to shut me away from everything I cared about?" she shot back. "You never asked me if hiding in that tomb was the best course of action, you just expected me to follow you blindly! Both of you were obsessed with your own paths. Your motivations might've been different, but in the end, I'm still just a pawn to you too!"

Serana wasn't finished yet.

"I want us to be a family again," she said softly. "But I don't know if we can ever have that. Maybe we don't deserve that kind of happiness. Maybe it isn't for us. But we have to stop him. Before he goes too far. And for that, we need the Elder Scroll".

Indeed we did.

"I'm sorry, Serana," Valerica said after a moment. "I didn't know... I didn't see. I've allowed my hatred of your father to estrange us for too long. Forgive me. If you want the Elder Scroll, it's yours"

Finally we were getting somewhere.

"Do you have it with you?" I asked.

Asking that earned me a glare

"You, I still don't trust," the vampire woman stated. "But for Serana's sake, I'll help you. The scroll is secured here. It has been ever since I was imprisoned. Fortunately, you're on the outside, and can breach the barrier".

Nothing was ever simple. I knew we were going to have to end up fighting some monsters.

"How?" I asked.

This time I wasn't glared at.

"Locate the tallest of the rock spires surrounding the ruins," Valerica instructed. "At their bases, the energy is being drawn from unfortunate souls that have been exiled here. Destroy the Keepers that are tending them, and it should bring the barrier down".

I wasn't really up for a fight, but I had no choice. Hopefully my gun would be effective against these Keepers.

"All right. We'll be back soon" I said.

(Line Break)

**The Soul Cairn. **

It had taken a lot to take out the Keepers down. I couldn't be entirely sure how we'd managed it what with me being so much weaker than normal, but somehow we'd done it, and that was what mattered. Although to be fair having Cameron around was helping, she didn't seem to be effected by this place at all.

"You managed to destroy all three Keepers," Valerica praised when we return to her "Very impressive. Follow me, and I'll give you the scroll".

Valerica led us to a small alcove, where she unlocked a chest, and lifted out the scroll, which she then passed to her daughter.

"Now that you have this, it would be wise to be on your way," the elder vampire said.

Serana was shocked.

"You're staying here?" she asked.

I figured she had to since Harkon could sacrifice his wife or his daughter in his ritual.

"Serena I have no choice" the older vamp said with a sigh. "I'm a daughter of Coldharbour. If I return to Tamriel, that increase Harkon's likelihood of bringing the Tyranny of the Sun to fruition".

While there was time for a tearful goodbyes between mother and daughter we had to leave now as I could feel that an important part of me was slipping away. So I pointed out to Serana that she could return later if we defeated her father. My ally agreed to that and soon we had headed back to the portal.

(Line Break)

**Harkon's Castle. Skyrim.**

After leaving the Soul Cairn I must have collapsed because the next thing I knew I was lying on an old bed, which Serana was sitting on the end off.

"What happened?" I asked.

I had already guessed, but I wanted to be sure.

"You passed out once we had left the Soul Cairn" the vampire told me "You became suck, I was able to treat you by using some potions I made".

Given that I was immortal thanks to some powerful magic it was possible that I would not have actually died, but I could have become a soulless thing, which would be very scary.

I noted that Cameron was by the door, no doubt she'd been guarding me while I recovered.

"Lucky for you Mother found a way to keep everything fresh" Serana then told me.

While I thanked the vampire, she didn't seem to hear it.

"I wish she could have come with us," Serana said as I sat up.

For reason other than her being a vampire I was glad that Valerica hadn't come with us. One of which was that I would have tried to kill her at some point because she was a real bitch.

"I'm thinking that you should have stayed, just to prevent Harkon from ever getting his hands on either of you" I said.

Serana gave me a sad smile.

"It wouldn't stop him, you know" she said.

I figured she was right. There had to be other pure blood female vampires out there. Heck Harkon might just make one, if he'd been able to summon Bal before he could do so again.

"No, it probably wouldn't, but he hasn't found your mother yet" I pointed out "and it took him this long to even start tracking you down".

She didn't say anything, and since I was feeling stronger now so I figured it was time to leave this castle. The damage must not have been as bad Serana had feared since I was already able to stand u.

We had to find that bow, and kill a Vampire Lord, that was going to be a lot of work, but my whole life was often a lot of work. No rest for the Jumper.


	10. Chapter 10

**Jump Chain Gothic 7**** \- Skyrim 1 - Dawnguard****  
**

**Part 10**

**Fort Dawnguard. Skyrim.**

It hadn't been too long since the Moth Priest had read the last Elder Scroll so we had to wait for him to recover before he'd attempt to read the one we'd gotten from the Soul Carin. If overtaxed himself he could die before he finished the reading and we wouldn't know what do next.

Given how things were progressing for the Dragonborn, a person that rumours were already spreading about, this world might not end soon, but the Dragonborn could fail, and if he did my group would need to leave quickly, hence the need to defeat Harkon. But we couldn't rush into battle with him without more information, not unless we really had to.

My memories were too unreliable to be depended on without more information and since we couldn't make any further moves against Harkon until we knew exactly where to go next it made sense to use this time to gather some of the magical items that I'd come to this world to claim.

With the Mako we could traverse Skyrim very quickly. I could also put together some sort of flying machine, but I decided against that the Mako had served us well so far, and I wasn't in that much of a rush to get anywhere.

"Okay first on my list is Red Eagle's Bane" I said.

In the game Red Eagle's Bane was an Ancient Nord Sword which serves as a reward for recovering Red Eagle's Fury and slaying the eponymous Red Eagle.

Red Eagle used the original version of this weapon in an attempted rebellion against the rule of Empress Hestra, as told in _The Legend of Red Eagle_. Before the Imperial conquest of The Reach, Red Eagle was one of many feuding kings of The Reach, prophesied to unite the region one day.

While his throne at the Sundered Hills was eventually lost to him, he gathered all loyal Reachman in a revolt against Imperial rule, which succeeded in almost forcing them out, However, the Imperial legions would not be driven off, and Red Eagle's fortress was eventually surrounded and besieged. At the end of the siege, Red Eagle sallied forth against the Imperials alone, naked, and with this sword in hand.

The story claims he slew a thousand of them before the force was routed from his stronghold. Victorious, Red Eagle collapsed when night fell, and was placed in his tomb, Rebel's Cairn.

Before finally dying, Red Eagle gave his followers his sword, and commanded they continue his campaign to free The Reach. Then once The Reach had been totally liberated, the sword should be returned to him, in his tomb, with the intention that this would resurrect him and allow him to lead them once more.

I knew that taking the weapon and going to his tomb would lead to the discovery of an altar with a slot to place Red Eagle's Fury. Placing it in the slot would unlock the hidden passage to Red Eagle's true tomb, as well as causing him to rise from the grave. Killing Red Eagle will cause the sword to transform from Red Eagle's Fury to Red Eagle's Bane, and complete this quest.

Of course I had no idea what tribe of Forsworn had the sword, a problem I shared with Serana who was hanging around me in part of the fortress I currently called home.

"You need to learn the Clairvoyance spell" she advised "As long you remain focused on your goal the spell will show the way".

That made sense, and I should be able to acquire the book from anyone who sold them. Which just meant visiting the nearest city. And along the way if I picked up any side quests then that could be fun.

"I'll learn the spell if I have time to join the College" I said to the vampire.

The books were hard to come buy, so it would be better to find a teacher at the college who could teach the spell. Serana didn't offer so I assumed that meant she didn't know the spell even if she had knowledge of it.

"There's a bow with a special enchantment for hunting animals in Clearspring Cave" I mentioned "But I'm not one hundred percent sure on that".

Allnel Forestwind was my expert on the local geography

"I know where that is" she told me "It's in Eastmarch".

Then we'd stop off there on the way back to this Fortress after we visited Whiterun. Which was one of the places I wanted to see.

"Not long after I became a vampire I visited Eastmarch so that I could confront my darkness" Serena told the room.

I was intrigued.

"You confronted your darkness?" I asked.

I wondered if that was like visiting that darkside cave on Dagobah, which I'd done.

"Yes" said the vampire "I had to fight a shadow version of myself, and when I won I was able to control my darkness. I think it's at least part of why I can restrain myself from killing when I feed".

This sounded interesting as if I could learn to fully control my own darkness then I'd better be able to resist the temptations of the darkside, and Chaos once I got the 40K Universe, assuming I ever got that far.

"There is something I'd like you to look into for me" Morgana said as she entered the room from the connecting chamber she'd been working in "What do you know about Aetherium?".

I didn't answer this question.

"It's a highly volatile material the Dwemer fought over" Serena answered "Given the amount time that has passed since the dwarves vanished I doubt there's any left".

Something about this seemed familiar.

"There's a book called The Aetherium Wars and it mentions a massive underground forge that was used to create Aetherium items" my wife told us "Which are mentioned in the set up for this Jump, but we had other things to buy with the CP".

Now I remembered, if you got enough Aetherium and took it to the Forge you could create one of three magical items, a circlet, a shield, or a staff.

"Let me guess you want the circlet" I said.

It would allow her the benefit of two standing stones if I remembered correctly, and that could help in her goal to master the magic of this world. Morgana never used a shield and she already had a staff.

"Well, yes" she admitted.

I gave the matter some thought.

"Dwemer ruins always have good loot, at least in the game" I mused "Besides, maybe we'll find more of this Aetheruim stuff".

"That's highly unlikely" Serana stated.

I shrugged.

"As long as we plan our journey carefully we should be able to make use of the forge and get back in time for the Moth Priest to read the scroll" I said "We can always visit Eastmarch later one".

I wanted to learn more about this whole 'facing my darkness' thing before I tried it.

(Line Break)

**Arkngthamz. Skyrim.**

"Master this place is dangerous" Cameron stated.

We'd only just entered the place and already she wanted to leave.

"Don't be so negative. I'm sure we'll be fine" I assured her.

A mild tremor shook the ground causing a rock slide in the distance.

"You were saying?" the cyborg said.

She had a valid point but exploring Arkngthamz wasn't about constantly worrying if we would be killed, but if our time would be well spent or not. Dwemer ruins could be loaded with valuables or completely empty, it largely depended on how well known the location was and how many automatons were still active. Judging by the single entrance and the shakes the chances were good this ruin had not been totally looted.

I began climbing the stairs expecting another tremor, but nothing happened. Then we found that a heavy metal door stood before us sheltered by a stone awning, the door opened with a foreboding creek, but nothing attacked us.

The entrance hall was dark except for a faint glow given off by a glowing mushrooms, the kind of which we'd harvested samples of before, and above us was a big lamp of some sort, but it had grown dim. Not that this was an issue for my group. Forestwind and I could make use of our special sunglasses, were as Cameron and Serana had other ways of seeing in the dark.

_Turn back_

"Did you hear that?" I asked,

Cameron hadn't heard anything, but the others had.

"Yes. It's probably a ghost" Serana stated "Not too surprising considering".

"Considering what?" Forestwind asked.

The vampire didn't answer and so we continued forward across the makeshift bridge. The damage from previous earthquakes was visible; how the entire structure hadn't collapsed on itself was a miracle.

_Please, turn back…before it's too late…_

The narrow hall turned into a wide expanse; a massive cavern stretched before us bridged by more fallen columns. A sudden rumble caused another minor rock slide, and this time it was much closer. The faint echo of splashing indicated a water source at the bottom of a very long fall.

_"What are you still doing here?"_

The ghost of a woman was now standing before us, and since Cameron tried to shoot her I guessed that meant that this spirit was the kind that she could see. However the blast went right through the ghost to no effect.

"Let me guess. You're hear for the treasure, aren't you? Just like all the others" said the spirit.

For some reason the ghost now sounded much more life like. I figured she'd been speaking in a more spooky voice before as part of an effort to drive us off. It would have worked on the locals who tended to be superstitious, and given the world they lived in they couldn't be blamed for this.

"Well, we're looking for a kind of treasure" I admitted.

We weren't just here for random loot.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The spirit wasn't overly hostile so I saw no reason to attack it.

"The name's Katria. I am – was – an adventurer" the ghost told us "I raided ruins like this for nigh on twenty years. I was on the trail of something big. It led me here, and…I didn't make it".

Sad, but there was nothing I could do about it now as she'd been dead for some time.

"We came here looking for Atherium" I mentioned.

I wanted a sample of the material in case it could be replicated. This was highly unlikely, but the Matter Furnace might be able to produce some of the stuff, in very small amounts. Assuming I bothered with that as there were other matters I needed to deal with in this world and I couldn't take the Forge with me.

"Oh. You read the book, didn't you? The Atherium Wars?" I was asked,

Katria stiffened as she spoke, as much as a ghost could, but continued speaking not waiting for me to answer the question.

"That was my theory you know" the spirit told us "My research. My life's work. All of it, lost! Stolen by my own damn apprentice!"

The ghostly face looked around the space we were in.

"That's how I ended up here" she said "I can't rest, not until I find the forge, until I can prove that it was my discovery. Mine and not his!".

She paused for a moment and then seemed to calm down.

"But its hopeless" she went on to say "I died here just like all the others"

She then looked at us.

"Turn back" she advised "Turn back before you become the next victims of this place".

I wasn't concerned.

"Oh, trust me, we can handle ourselves" I said to the spirit "This place is a bit run down, but we've seen worse".

The Soul Carin had been far more horrible. I'd hidden how badly it had been affecting me, it had drained my soul somewhat I was certain of that, but I was sure that the damage wouldn't be long lasting. In fact I already felt much better.

Still I was pretty sure that Cameron would pin me down on the ground if I even mentioned going back to that place. Not that I wanted to.

"Hmph…maybe so but then again, I thought I could too" Katria said

The ghost sighed, or seemed to.

"I'm not going to talk you out of it, am I?" she asked "I know, I know I was just like you, once. Well if you want to reach the summit, you're going to need some help".

No one had any objections.

"Sure, why not" I said.

Katria nodded.

"Alright. Lead on then" she then said.

The good thing about having the Force and telekinetic powers was that I could leap great distances, and then use my powers to lift people across chasms. As it turned out Serena could turned into a scary monster and fly when ever she wanted, which made things easier.

"See that thing? Dwarves called them 'kinetic resonators'" our ghost guide told us when we entered a chamber that was filled with strange machines Don't see them very often, at least not among the clans in Skyrim".

I wondered what they were.

"Just hit them" instructed the spirit "and they'll do…whatever it is they're supposed to do".

That wasn't very helpful.

"Hopefully they don't explode" I heard Forestwind grumble.

With the Force I picked up a sizeable piece of metal and swung it at the resonator, letting the Force guide my actions, the metal hit the strange machine with a clang. There was a loud hiss and a nearby set up gates swung open. As a group we headed through the gate before it could close.

"Falmer up ahead" Katria whispered to us "Damn things are like bugs. No matter how many you kill more just pop up"

One of the creatures suddenly stood upright, sniffing the air. It made a strange sound then lurched forward in an attack stance; the others followed suit.

A sudden burst of flame engulfed both falmer as they'd run towards us, Serana had used a spell on them.

"Impressive" I commented.

Serana smiled at me.

"When we have time I'll teach you a few tricks" she promised.

We'd see if that was possible later on.

(Line Break)

**Arkngthamz. Skyrim.**

After what felt like hours of hiking and killing those nasty falmer creatures, we made it to place our ghost guide wanted to us to reach.

The large well-lit room was now spread out before us. Kinetic resonators lined the ornate walls. There were also bodies in various states of decay; one appeared to be fresh, a famler, but others had been reduced to bones.

"Look at this" the spirit instructed.

She indicated the large wall behind her.

"It's a lock. A tonal lock. Simple but very, very deadly. See the resonators up there? Strike them in the right order and the doors should open" she told us "Get it wrong and well, you saw what happened to me when I tried it".

I gave the matter some thought. I even scanned the place, but even Cortana couldn't make sense of dwarven machinery, at least not yet.

"Any advice on opening this thing without triggering an earth quake or awakening an army of centurion?" I asked.

Katria thought for a moment.

"Hmm…well, you can pick up where I left off. My notes should still be in my journal if you can read it" she suggested Beyond that, maybe one of our predecessors has a clue".

I left the others to search the bodies, but they only found a note with a few scribbles. However as it turned out the dwarves had left instructions, they were carved into the walls, and I could read them if I focused.

"Shoot the bottom left first, then the bottom right" I instructed Forestwind "Then hit the top left and the top right. The last resonator is in the middle".

Inside the room we'd just opened up there were several chests filled with various types of loot; jewels, dwarven armour, and weapons, even some gold. Dwarven ingots and spare parts were stacked off to the side.

While gold and jewels meant little to me the ingots and the items made from dwarven metal did have value as I couldn't replicate the stuff, but I could reforge it and practice my blacksmithing while making new weapons.

Weapons that Morgana could enchant, and that I could store in the Asgardian Armoury in what I planned to be the next Jump as I badly wanted an armoury full of magical weapons.

What I really wanted right now was in the middle of this room, it was a strange blue luminous shard that set on a pedestal. I picked it up and turned it over; it hummed with energy. I could feel it through my mystical senses.

"So it is real" Katria said "Let me see it."

I held out the strange metal for closer examination by the ghostly woman.

"Look on the edge here," she pointed "this has been precisely cut. If you had another piece about the same size..."

She started pacing

"I saw a drawing of this once, This shard…its…its part of a key" said the spirit "A key made of pure Atherium! It's the key to the Forge!".

Katria was practically bouncing, for a dead woman she had a lot of energy.

"There should be three more" stated the ghost "Yes, one for each of the four cities that worked on the Forge".

She tried to reach for the shard, but her hand went through the item

"I had a map in my journal" said the ghost "that's where we should start. You need to find my body".

Hopefully she knew where it was.

"And we still have to find the forge itself. I had a lead on that too" said the spirit "there's so much to do. I'm going to head out and start tracking things down. We'll meet again, I'm sure of it!"

She began walking toward the gate then stopped and turned

"For the first time I think... I think we may actually be able to do this" she said "I owe it all to you. Thank you."

With that Katria disappeared.

"So where is her body?" Forestwind asked.

I had the feeling that this quest was going to take all day. We needed the ghost lady's journal in order to find the rest of Atherium.

"Well since an Earthquake killed her, that means her body is likely at the body of that chasm" said Serana "I can fly down and find it. Hopefully she kept her journal in a pouch or the water will have ruined it".

We'd soon find out.

(Line Break)

**Deep Folk Crossing. Skyrim.**

Forestwind, Cameron, Serana and I stood at one end of the ancient Dwemer structure known as Deep Folk Crossing. On the other side, there was a short path that led to a stone pedestal, upon it was a dwarven helmet, a sword and the last piece of Atherium that we needed.

The bridge itself, while ancient, was sturdy looking at least. Built into the side of the mountain, it offered a dynamic view of the landscape with a small outcropping to watch the waterfall below. The sun was beginning to set adding a pink haze to the atmosphere. We'd spent most of this day driving around and recovering the Atheruim.

Since I didn't trust the bridge I just used my mind powers to bring the piece of Atherium and sword to me. I left the helmet behind as I more than enough dwarven metal for my needs. At least for now.

I handed over the sword, which Morgana could have fun enchanting to Cameron before placed the piece of Atherium into my pouch.

Then somehow the ghost of Katria appeared. Finding and using the forge was clearly her unfinished business.

"That's the last piece isn't it?" she asked.

I just nodded. The ghost didn't seem to understand that we shouldn't have been able to find the Atherium shards so quickly, but she was dead so I imagined that her grip on reality was shaky.

"Then its almost time! I'll meet you at the forge" said the spirit.

With that she disappeared.

"She's so, excited" Serana said "It would cute if she wasn't dead".

It made sense to me.

"Yes, well, this is her life's work finally coming to fruition" I said "Not to mention, she'll probably be able to move on to whatever afterlife she deserves, Sovngarde or something like that".

Although she hadn't died in battle Katria had been adventurous and brave.

"We should head for the ruins of Bthalft" Serana was now saying "this should be the location of the forge according to the journal. After that, back to the Fortress".

Well no as I wanted to fight my inner darkness, but that could wait until tomorrow.

(Line Break)

**Bthalft. Skyrim.**

According to Forestwind, who had a lot of local lore in her head, at one time this was considered to be the hub of Dwemer research and progress, thousands of years had turned it into little more than a few standing stones and pedestals, at least on the surface.

Bandits had set up residence here, but they were not a threat. We killed some of them and the rest of the group fled before there was further bloodshed rather than fight to the last like they would in the game. Whether they would be back or not didn't concern me as we wouldn't be here for long.

At the centre of the ruins was a globe with an intricate design. Below it was a space for a key of some sort. After pulling out the Atherium shards from my pouch, I examined each one carefully before piecing them together. As the completed disc was placed, the ground began to tremor. Then a stone platform began rising, revealing a hidden lever for a Dwemer elevator.

We soon entered the lift, someone pulled the lever and we began our decent. I couldn't accurately judge the speed on the lift, but I got the sense that we were heading very deep underground.

Once we reached the entrance to the forge, which was at the bottom of the lift, Katria appeared once again and directed our attention to more tonal locks. Getting here had been pretty simple, which meant less chances for loot then expected, but it also meant that we'd not had to work our away around traps, nor had we needed to kill a bunch of falmar so I wasn't complaining.

"Do they need to be shot in a particular order?" I wondered.

The ghost shrugged

"I would assume no but then again, this is as far as I've ever been" she answered.

Once the locks were activated in no order, the gates swung open revealing a massive room that was suspended above an active lava pit. There were also pipes bringing steam into this place, and that meant we couldn't go any further.

"We need a way of getting to the other side without being boiled" I said.

I used my powers to close both valves and once they were closed the steam disappeared but then a new threat appeared; swarms of dwarven spiders began pouring into the room from various openings.

Using my powers once again I grabbed as many spiders as I could, and began throwing them around the room. Meanwhile my companions used their ranged attacks to take out as many spiders as possible.

"That wasn't fun, but if it's the worst of it, I'm okay with that" Serana said once it was over.

Why did I have the feeling that she'd jinxed us?

"I highly doubt that is the only defence that was put in place" Cameron said "Stay alert".

At that moment, several dwarven spheres emerged with blades drawn. The spheres proved to be more formidable than the spiders, but not impossible to defeat. I couldn't control these machines with my near-ascended abilities, however that didn't stop me from throwing them about and cutting them apart with my lightsaber.

"Collect the soul gems" I ordered "Morgana can make use of them".

A massive centurion came at us next. It was glowing white hot, as it stomped toward us intent on our destruction. Moving with uncharacteristic speed, it took a swipe at me. However the axe blade at the end of its arm met empty air as the Force guided my actions, keeping me from harm.

A burst of flames erupted from the centurion's face a moment later, and if not for my ability to control fire, another of my many near-ascended powers I would have been burned to a crisp in short order.

Alas deflecting that much fire was too much even for me so I was very grateful for a moment to recover, which I got when Serana hit the centurion with enough ice spikes that the construct turned its attention away from me.

Calling upon the Force as much as possible I ran forward, lightsaber ignited, and took a swipe at the knee joint of the centurion. A sudden bust of steam indicated a cut line, but it didn't prevent the centurion from attacking.

With a swipe of its hammered arm, it caught Cameron in the chest and sent her flying into a wall with a loud bang; she didn't get up. I figured that I was going to have to do some serious repair work on her.

While it was distracted, I cut the other knee joint sending it crashing forward. With both legs useless, the centurion was forced to crawl in order to attempt further destruction. However before it could do anyone else any harm I jumped on its back driving my energy blade through the metal plating connecting its head to the body. With a final cloud of steam, the centurion stopped moving.

Cameron stood up a moment later, having reset, which Terminators sometimes needed to do after taking damage. She wasn't badly broken, her outer layer would heal before long the robot part beneath hadn't taken damage.

Her armour was ruined, but that could easily be replaced as the Dawnguard had more weapons and armour than it had people to use them.

"I... I almost can't believe it" the ghost was now saying "We did it! We actually did it! There's only one thing left to do. We have to prove this actually works. That this is the real Aetherium Forge".

She was really focused on her goal if me using a lightsaber didn't provoke her interest. It was obsession I understood even further when the spirit realised that there was no stockpile of Aetherium for us to use to make anything with.

"The shards we collected, they're pure Aetherium" I reminded her "It's not much, but it'll do. With them, and the materials in this room, we should have everything we need"

There was indeed a chest full of the stuff we needed.

"I'll bet its filled with just enough materials to make a circlet, a staff or a shield" I said "How convenient".

With the materials obtained, we set to work creating the Atherium Crown. While the Forge itself was ancient, it made shaping the materials almost effortless. After the process was complete, I held the crown out for Katria to examine.

"Gods, it's absolutely beautiful!" she said "And with that... it's done. No one could possibly deny what we've found now".

Yep the quest was complete. Although once I left I'd not longer have a key that would allow me to re-enter this place. Not unless I could unlock with my powers, which was possible, but it was unlikely that I'd bother since I didn't have any more Atherium and had plenty of other things to do.

"So what's going to happen now?" I asked "I mean for you".

Would she moved on or linger here?

"For me? I've done what I set out to do" the ghost said "So take that out into the world. And if anyone asks, tell them what we discovered. Together".

She was becoming more transparent I noticed.

"And now I think I can rest" said the spirit "Farewell, my friends, thank you".

She took a bow and faded away.

"You know, I think I'm going to miss her" Serana told the group "She was pleasant to be around"

"And a damn good shot" Forestwind added.

There was no sense hanging around here any more so I decided to get moving. I still had places to visit and quests to finish.

(Line Break)

**Eastmarch. Skyrim.**

It was time to face my darkness. I'd come to the place Serana had told me about, and I'd left my companions in the Mako nearby, they couldn't help me with this fight. I had to face my darkness and learn to control it.

I'd wondered if my shadow counter part, the creature I would soon be facing, would have all my powers. Perhaps it would simply mimic them, not that it mattered as the shadow counter part could be defeated.

Serana had defeated hers and she'd told me that the key to victory was just to fight, no fancy tricks would not help me here. I just had to go in their and kick the ass of my shadow counter part. Although I suspected that a certain spell would help me.

The mist gathered and the level of light lowered as I entered a part of Eastmarch that contained geysers, yet I felt cold, but that wasn't due to temperature, I felt the darkness, and it was gathering around me.

Then I saw it the shadow creature, it had my outline, but didn't look that much like me. However when the shadow lit up a lightsaber, one with a black blade, I knew that I was indeed facing my shadow.

I called upon the Force just in time to reduce the effect of a Force Push, or some sort of telekinetic attack. And then I rolled out of the way as the black blade of the shadow's lightsaber tried to skewer me.

Upon returning to my feet I was lifted up into the air, I felt like I was being hanged on an invisible rope. Luckily I knew a defence against this attack, it took a lot of focus to Force Choke someone like this so all I had to do was send a small fireball at the Shadow, and it had to drop me.

Returning my lightsaber to my hand proved to be a wise move as I needed it to block some Force Lightning, which was not an ability I made use of it since it was a dark side power, and I had easier ways of killing people.

I knew that I had to go on the offensive as given a chance the shadow could my near-ascended powers to destroy me. That required focus so I needed to distract this avatar of darkness.

While muttering the words of a powerful spell I used my particle magnum as that distraction. The shadow creature deflected the attacks easily enough, but that wasn't the real danger.

Once again I had slowed down the course of time and the shadow creature was affected by this, and while it shared my speed that wasn't enough to stop from cutting it apart with my lightsaber.

Time returned to its normal flow and I found that the Shadow creature had changed form becoming a sword, one that could have been daedric made. I felt no danger from the weapon, and when I touched it I realised that was a symbol of the darkness within me that I could now control.

Serana had mentioned that the darkness took the form of a weapon, and the weapon did feel like a part of me, much like how my lightsaber did. I even knew the name of the weapon: Shadowrend.


	11. Chapter 11

**Jump Chain Gothic 7**** \- Skyrim 1 - Dawnguard****  
**

**Part 11**

**Fort Dawnguard. Skyrim.**

"Try this" Morgana instructed.

While I wasn't in the habit of drinking strange looking liquids I trusted my companions, and I downed the pink fluid. Right away I began to feel warm, and then horny, very horny. The lust was rapidly building up within me.

"Now this might make you want to have sex" my wife was saying "So I'll...

I couldn't hold off any longer and I'd stopped listening. I just did my best to free my cock, and once that was done I didn't wait for Morgana's cue before I shoved himself into her hard. She moaned and tilted her hips to meet my rough thrusts, and she didn't protest my action in any way.

Despite my frantic activity I could tell that her hands were down the front of her nightshirt, playing with her breasts which I had taken no time to play with. Lucky for ladyship she'd gotten herself warmed up before I started fucking her or this would have been a far less pleasant experience for her.

While it was hard to notice as I was doing all I could to make myself cum, I did realise that the noises that she was making and she was cursing in a very unladylike manner as she moved her hips just right.

Unable to do anything other try to cum as quickly as possible all I could do was fuck until I released my seed inside her. I groaned and continued to pound into her I was totally done. And I was grateful that this didn't take long as my body had felt as if was going to explode with desire.

I pulled out of her and collapsed at her side. At this point were both breathing heavily and she brought her hands down to feel her well used cunt, as if to inspect the damage. If there was any it was her fault for giving me that potion.

As it turned out there were sex potions in this world which worked to increase a men's sexual performance in different ways. These weren't drugs, they were magical enchantments, just like the potions which a person to take to temporarily improve health or how much mana they could call upon.

Morgana had somehow gotten her hands of a potion recipe, and had invited me to try it out while in her room. What happened next had been very short, but also very intent. Even the better made potions didn't really last that long, and Morgana was still learning the fine art of alchemy.

I looked over at Morgana who was now laying next to me while half-naked, her underwear happened to be down around her ankles, I must have pulled the down without realising, and her nightshirt was now pulled down around her breasts, revealing her black lace bra.

As her chest rose and fell it made me think that her breasts were begging to be free of their confines. However before I could attempt to do anything about that she rolled onto me, pressing into my side, one hand resting on my chest as if she wanted to check my heartbeat.

She nestled her head on my shoulder. When I turned my head and look at her. Her green eyes seemed to pierce mine for a few moment before I stopped looking at her. I decided to get some sleep, and to talk to her about her progress with potion making another time.

(Line Break)

**Fort Dawnguard. Skyrim.**

While both Morgana and I were both capable of having visions replace our dreams I couldn't recall a time when it happened to us both in the same night, so when the two of us woke up and tried to warn the other that the fortress was about be attacked, we knew it was serious.

I only had enough to get dressed in my Dawnguard armour and find Caliburn before the alarm went off. Had I not gotten the vision I would have suspected what was going on at this point, but I wouldn't have been armed or armoured by now, and I'd still be waking up.

Which made all the difference I discovered as if I'd hadn't been prepared it was possible that I'd have been killed before I even knew what was going on.

Vampires were attacking and at least some of them had already gotten pass the Fort's defences, which wasn't surprising as the most powerful ones could turn into a flying monster creature, and others could jump very high I soon discovered.

Trusting that Morgana could take care of herself, I ventured out in the castle and found that we'd somehow gotten a vampire infestation. Which I somehow knew would be a pain the ass to clear out.

Still I had to get started somewhere so I called upon the Force and let the vamps notice me. I could have destroyed one of them before they were even aware of me, but I used the free moments to better prepare myself by calling more deeply upon the Force.

Caliburn also aided in me battle as my first foe of this battle, a vampire in stylish armour who may have been a Dark Elf, it was hard to tell since its face had become something demonic looking, more or less flew at me.

The magical sword easily destroyed the undead thing, as it was very potent against such creatures, as forms of undead had discovered before now. I drove the blade into the chest of the monster, and soon it became dust.

Another vamp came at me, and I used my mind powers to send Caliburn at the monster. Sword met undead flesh and a moment after the leech hit the ground it began to turn to dust. More alchemy ingredients for Morgana I figured.

I moved through the castle, slaying vampires, stabbing summoned daedra, and when the front doors opened to admit an army of skeletons I let lose with my true power. With my mind I shattered skulls, broke bones, and sent the remains of dead people flying about.

This battle would lead to one hell of clean up I just knew it. Also I was going to have to explain to the Dawnguard about my powers, but that could wait as right now I had monsters to slay.

(Line Break)

**Darkfall Cave. Skyrim. **

Darkfall was like most other caves, dark, damp, and creepy, and not just in way a human would feel, my supernatural senses were making me not want to go in there, but I couldn't turn back.

The Moth Priest, Dexion, had become ill after reading Senara's scroll and reading the one we'd gotten from her mother had cost Dexion his life. So supplying us with this location had cost a lot.

Plus the vampire attack on Fort Dawnguard told us that Harkon was aware that we had the Elder Scroll that Serana had been sealed away with. One of this vampires had taken that scroll, and while it was mostly useless to him right now, he might soon find another Moth Priest to read it for him.

Once he did Lord Harkon would be able to follow the same trail we had in order to get to this place. It would take him time sure, and he'd have to attack Fort Dawnguard again in order to get the second Elder Scrolls, but he wouldn't care how many lives it cost.

With all that in mind we went deep down and found ourselves next to an underground lake, and at the far end of the lake, was something that looked to be a small shrine. Also there was elf here who was quite unlike I'd seen while physically here in Skyrim.

"Come forward," he said genially. "You have nothing to fear here".

The elf's skin was pale as the snow, and he had golden eyes, his white hair was cut short, and he wore armour of a type that I had never seen before. He was taller than even a Nord, and that was saying something. Although if compared to a giant he wouldn't seem any taller than the rest of us.

"I am Knight-Paladin Gelebor," he introduced, while bowing slightly. "Welcome to the Chantry of Auri-El".

The word 'Auri-El' meant nothing to me, however the vampire I was travelling with reacted upon hearing it.

"This is a temple to Auriel?" Serana asked.

Perhaps it once had been a church of sorts, but clearly it had seen better days.

"Auriel, Auri-El, Akosh, Akatosh" Knight-Paladin Gelebor said "So many different names for one deity".

That was when Forestwind figured something out.

"You're one of the Falmar" she realised.

But not one of blind mutant creatures that lived underground, this was one of the original Falmar.

"I prefer Snow Elf," he said a little tersely. "Those twisted creatures you call Falmer, are what I call the Betrayed".

Which made sense as what most people called Falmar were the Snow Elves who had taken refuge with the Dwemer, the dwarves, only to be betrayed by them. The Snow Elves had been given a blinding poison, that combined with centuries of living underground had turned the Snow Elves into the horrid Falmar creatures.

"You're here for Auriel's Bow" Knight-Paladin Gelebor was now saying "Why else would you be here?".

Him knowing that at least meant that I would not have to spend any time explaining why we were here. It wasn't exactly a long story, and it wasn't really a good one either so I had no desire to tell it.

"I can help you get it" Knight-Paladin Gelebor went on to say "but first, I must have your assistance".

That was the annoying thing about the Elder Scrolls world, even if you were given a simple task you always ended having to do a lot more work. The rewards were nice, but I only had so much room in my pouch of holding and my Cosmic Warehouse.

"What do you want us to do?" I asked.

The Knight-Paladin answered right away, and as I'd expected it was about killing someone.

"I need you to kill Arch-Curate Vyrthur, he who was once my brother" he told us.

Serana seemed confused, as did Forestwind, Cameron simply didn't care. I wasn't surprised since I was remembering much more about this part of the quest line now that I was doing it. Even enhanced memories sometimes needed jogging.

"Why?" the vampire in our group asked.

Again the Knight-Paladin answered at once.

"The kinship between us is gone" he informed us "I do not understand what he has become, but he is no longer the brother I once knew. It was the Betrayed, they did something to him. I just don't know why Auri-El would allow this to happen".

Something to do with free will I was sure. That was normally the excuse of higher powers to who failed to do their job.

"So what did they do to your brother?" Serana wondered.

Since this was part of the quest I listened closely and gathered all the information I could.

"One night the Betrayed swept into the Chantry without warning, and began killing everyone" Gelebor said to us "The Chantry was a place of peaceful worship, however we weren't defenceless. I led a small group of paladins, but we were no match for the Betrayed's sheer numbers. They slaughtered everyone, then stormed the inner sanctum, where I believe they corrupted Vyrthur".

He was a vampire if I remembered correctly, but I didn't think that it was wise to mention that.

"They didn't just kill him?" my Bosmer asked.

Knight-Paladin Gelebor shook his head.

"I've seen him" he told us "But something's wrong. He never looks in pain, or under duress, he just stand there, watching. As if he's waiting for something".

Now Serana had a question.

"And you never tried getting into the Sanctum to ask him what's wrong?" she wondered.

Knight-Paladin Gelebor again shook his head, it was a very human thing to do and it looked odd on the elf.

"Leaving the wayshrines unguarded would be an abandonment of my sacred duty as a Knight-Paladin of Auri-El," he said with a sigh "And an assault on the Betrayed in the Inner Sanctum would only result in my death".

Once more the vampire at my side wanted to know something.

"What are this wayshrines?" she questioned.

The elf's hand glowed with a soft light as he turned and approached the shrine, which was half buried in the earth. The ground shook a little as the entire thing slid smoothly upwards, revealing blank inner walls, and a small, dry fountain.

"Incredible," Serana murmured.

I was far less impressed, but I'd ventured to more than a few strange realms.

"This structure is known as a wayshrine," Gelebor explained "They were used for meditation and for transport back when the Chantry was a place of enlightenment. Prelates of these shrines were charged with teaching the mantras of Auri-El to our initiates".

He still had more to say.

"Once the initiate completed his mantras, he'd dip a ceremonial ewer into the basin at the wayshrine's centre, and proceed to the next wayshrine" he told us.

"What's a ewer?" Cameron asked.

I wasn't surprised that she didn't know. Even I just knew them to be fancy vases of some sort.

"A jug for carrying water" Serana told her "they are shaped likes vases and decorated as they normally used in rituals rather than to just transport drinking water".

I hated it when you had to carry something heavy in a quest, and then have to put it down every time you needed to fight or solve a puzzle. It always took way too long.

"So these initiates had to lug around a heavy pitchers of water" I summarised.

The Snow Elf nodded.

"Once the initiate's enlightenment was complete, he'd bring the ewer to the Chantry's Inner Sanctum," Gelebor explained. "Then he would pour the contents of the ewer into the sacred basin of the Sanctum, which would grant him an audience with the Arch-Curate himself".

When it became clear that we didn't see the point of that, the Snow Elf sighed

"It's purely symbolic," Gelebor said "but important to us. What matters to you is that the only way to get to my brother is by following in the initiate's footsteps from way shrine to wayshrine, just as they did. The first lays at the end of Darkfall Cavern, a path that represents the lack of enlightenment"

I figured that this would be tedious.

"How many more are there?" I asked.

He soon told me.

"There are five in total" he said "spread far apart across the Chantry".

At least it wouldn't take too long, this place was just a system of caves with a few caverns, it wasn't as if I'd be trekking half way across Skyrim. No wait that actually would be the case since the wayshrines were also teleporters if I recalled correctly.

"The Chantry encompasses far more than a few caves, as you'll soon discover" the elf said as I groaned in dismay "But before I send you on your way, you'll need the Initiates Ewer."

He passed a silver pitcher over to me, and I was greatly that it was reasonably sized. I had worried that it was big jug like that Hammer in Fable 2 had to lug around some caves.

"We need to fill this at each wayshrine then?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Once you've located a wayshrine, there will be a spectral Prelate tending to it," Gelebor explained "They will allow you to draw the water from the shrine's basin, as if you'd been enlightened".

Having to fill up a jug a little at a time was going to be boring I figured, but there were Falmer around to make things more interesting.

"Well let's get started" I said.

We very soon ran into some former Snow Elves. If they weren't so damned vicious I would have felt more sympathy for them, given how they'd ended up like this, but the creatures hated anyone that was not of their own race.

Which led them to trying to murder myself and my companions. The cavern and tunnels were, unfortunately, full of the evil little bastards. But there was not only danger, there was also an odd sort of beauty to be found in this place.

Great blue stones cast more light as we went further into the Chantry, which aside from being attractive to look at they also allowed us to see the Falmar coming. Which was good as in the dark they'd have a major advantage as they were used to it.

Not that it really mattered as we had our special sunglasses for those who needed them, and kinetic barriers to stop arrows. Cameron had also brought an energy weapon with her, so she along with Forestwind, who used a bow, and Serana, who had her spells, easily took care of the Betrayed.

"Welcome Initiate," the spectral prelate greeted us. "This is the Wayshrine of Illumination. Are you prepared to honour the mantras of Auri-El and fill your vessel with His enlightenment?".

I pondered my answer.

"Yes please" I then said as I hadn't been able to think of anything more meaningful to say.

I filled the ewer with a bit of water, then the group followed me as stepped through to the open portal to the next shrine.

The cave we found ourselves in next led up and out into a valley that defied easy description. What go my attention very quickly was that the vally held some of the glowing plants that could sometimes be found underground, and some of the more ordinary plants as well. No doubt some would make useful potions, so I had my companions take some samples.

"Where are we?" Serana asked.

I shrugged as I hadn't a clue, and then I looked around some more. There were ruins in the valley, and the way they were laid out suggested that there had, at one point, been a path. Seeing as we had little else to go on, we followed the pieces of what I guessed once likely been a well-tended and grand path. It led us upwards, into cold, crisp winter air, and also into a small pass.

Eventually the pass led back out into another valley, this one more normal and snow covered.

"Look, I think I see our next shrine" I said.

Serana snorted a little.

"Like it'll be that easy" she said.

As it turned out she was right. We ended up needing to cross a frozen river, which didn't look safe.

"Does this ice feel a seem... thin to you?" Serana asked hesitantly.

That was also my concern.

"You're wearing full armour" Serana pointed out "that might make you too heavy to cross".

Well I wasn't going to leave it behind. Only a fool would walk around Skyrim without any armour on.

"Hold on" Serana then said "I have an idea".

She used a spell called Frostbite, which allowed her to send a continuous stream of cold air from both her hands and onto the frozen river. This took some time, but it was effective, and I was impressed by the vampire's sheer magical prowess.

"That should last long enough to let us cross" she said when she was finished.

Which it did and soon we found a bridge led back into Falmer territory. Keeping them from spilling the ewer was not the easiest thing in the world as the monsters charged us in large groups.

Alas there was no escaping the creatures, of course; every step forward led us deeper into Falmer territory, which meant even more fighting and killing. I would have looted to, but they never seemed to have any good stuff.

While I'd always known that the Falmar were a tragic race I found that I had no desire to help them or even spare their lives. I wondered if I had in fact left part of my soul back in the Carin.

On the other hand I simply could not afford to feel sympathy so perhaps I was just being practical. I'd also mastered my darkness, and what exactly that meant I didn't understand, but if it made more practical then it could be a good thing.

While the Falmer bridges did, on occasion, creak alarmingly, they were surprisingly sturdy considering the materials used in them. Apparently the charrus creatures the Falmar used as attack dogs were good for something, their shells were a sturdy building material if nothing else.

The mountain paths eventually led us to a cave from which the river we'd sometimes followed seemed to be sourced from, and we went in warily; it was mostly ice inside, at least on the ledges that we attempted to walk on. And even the liquid water, was icy cold.

Thankfully my life support belt, which was created for situations like this, would prevent me from losing any fingers or toes to frostbite. I hadn't actually known the belt worked when swimming, I'd never thought to test that until now.

The Falmer were, naturally, of no help at all. They had a much easier time with the cold water and icy ledges, and as such kept attacking us. Still a Falmer occasionally had problems standing up. Watching them slip on the ice while running about was worth a laugh.

After finally finding a path that was more snow than ice, meant we were able to press on, even deeper into Falmer territory. For most of the way we were killing the Betrayed, but thankfully they never barred our way in large numbers to overwhelm us. With guns, a bow and magic we were able to defeat them.

Finally we found another Wayshrine, with another prelate waiting outside of it. Once that was done we followed the path onward. This went on until finally we came to a place that wasn't a wayshrine.

"This is a statue of Auriel," Serana said when we finally reached our goal "But it's using the older signs of his power. This temple must be ancient. The bow has to be here".

It better be after all I'd gone through to get the damn thing.

"As does the Arch-Curate," I said grimly "Not to mention many more Falmer"

The basin for the water from the ewer was at the top of the stairs, and l was super glad to pour it out. It might not have been a heavy weight, but it had been a pain keeping it from spilling while going over rough terrain and having to fight creatures, as I such didn't mind seeing the water go away.

It flowed down three channels cut into the stone, and filled the sun symbol which glowed for a few moment. The lock on the door rotated, then popped free.

When we got inside I saw the Inner Sanctum, it was more impressive in scale than the wayshrines had been, and far creepier. Beings that had been frozen into statues remained, some with weapons, and some had empty hands. A crowd of them were around the flame symbol in the centre of the room.

"And I thought the Soul Cairn was creepy," Serana muttered.

Rather than reply I crept through the statues, and reached out to touch the shrine of the god. I hoped that touching it would have an effect much like in the game, and it did. Today had been rather taxing, and now I felt better, also I was warmer on the inside.

Beyond the frozen bodies and the shrine were some skeletons, in various positions that suggested they'd been trying to hide, or escape. Although from what I could only guess. Perhaps the Falmar.

Also there was another hallway, which I assumed led to where the Arch-Curate was waiting.

"Ready for this?" Forestwind whispered.

Again I didn't reply I just led the way into a hallway, which was uncomfortably narrow, and it led to a cavern filled with a dozen or so ice statues, and the far end was Arch-Curate himself.

"Did you really come here expecting to claim Auriel's Bow?" he demanded to know "You've done exactly as I predicted, and you brought your fetching companion to me!"

Well he sounded nuts.

"Is he talking about me?" Serana wondered.

The less friendly Snow Elf didn't answer the question, but he did speak some more.

"Which, I'm sorry to say, means your usefulness is at an end!" the Mer declared.

He did something that involved magic l wasn't precisely sure what it was until the ice statues came alive. Granted they were shattered in short order, since I could crush them with my mind and bash them against walls, but still it had been a cool bit of magic.

"An impressive display," the Arch-Curate praised, sounding like he meant it "But a wasted effort. You delay nothing but your own deaths!"

Then the Snow Elf did more magic.

"Watch out!" Serana yelled. "He's pulling down the ceiling!"

The warning came in good time; and I dove out of the way as chunks of ice hit the very place where I'd been standing mere heartbeats before.

"Finish them!" Vyrthur commanded, while waving a hand at the ice statues that hadn't already been smashed.

These statues did not fare any better than the last lot, nor did the Ice Atronach he summoned. I was strong in the Force and I summoned Daedra of my own, as did Serana. Also I had a small team with me, so it wasn't even a long battle.

"No!" the Snow Elf shouted "I won't let you ruin centuries of preparations!".

This guy was really living up to the stereotype I had about magic using super villains. They were always so 'over the top' and more than a bit camp.

"Surrender and give us the bow!" Serana demanded.

The Arch-Curate's response was to teleport away.

"He's up there on the balcony, let's go" the vamp informed me.

We cornered him up there, and Serana seemed to have reached the end of her tether, she was very grumpy right now and I was wondering if female vampires could suffer from PMS.

"Enough Vyrthur," she snapped "Give us the bow!"

I got the impression that he wasn't just going to hand it over. In fact I didn't even know if he had it. Although it seemed likely that he did.

"How dare you," he said with a sneer. "I was the Arch-Curate of Auri-El, girl. I had the ears of a god".

Now I was also getting annoyed. The only reason he was still alive was because we wanted the bow and we weren't sure if he had it. My companion didn't seem to care about that anymore and she decided to bite the Snow Elf. Only she suddenly stopped.

"You're... you're a vampire," Serana then said in surprise "But Auriel should have protected you..."

I was also surprised as I hadn't sensed that he was a blood drinker, despite knowing this due to the game. He had to be disguised somehow.

"The moment I was infected by one of my own initiates, Auri-El turned his back on me," the snow elf said bitterly. "I swore I'd have my revenge, no matter what the cost".

Now that I had his origin story, it confirmed my view that he really was a stereotypical super villain.

"Auri-El himself may have been beyond my reach," the Snow Elf said "but his influence on our world wasn't. All I needed was the blood of a Daughter of Coldharbour, and his own weapon, Auriel's Bow".

I looked at Serana, who was a Daughter of Coldharbour, and wondered once again if I should just destroy her. If not for the fact that Molag Bal could make another Daughter of Coldharbour I might have just done it. Then again Serana was, if not my friend, then at least an ally so killing her would not be easy, even she didn't put up a fight. Which of course she would.

"The blood of a vampire... Auriel's Bow..." Serana stammered before going to speak more clearly "It was you? You created that prophecy?".

Now that was a plot twist worthy of a comic book super villain.

"A prophecy that lacked a single, final ingredient. The blood of a pure vampire. The blood of a Daughter of Coldharbour!" the elf shouted.

He made the mistake in coming within arms reach of Serana, she reached out and grabbed his neck, lifting him up over her head.

"You were waiting, all this time for someone with my blood to come along" the female vampire said with a growl "Well too bad for you, I intend on keeping it".

She was so suffering from PMS.

"Let's see if your blood has any power to it!" she then shouted.

His death was, perhaps, a little anti-climactic, but it was gruesome. Serana transformed into her demon form, the one she could fly in, drained the guy dry and ripped the Snow Elf's head off. This made her seem far less attractive all of a sudden.

Once he was dust a wayshrine shot straight up and of the ground, and a moment later Gelebor stepped out. The ashes, which all of remained if his brother, was the first thing the Paladin went to look at.

"So, the deed has been done," he murmured "The restoration of this wayshrine means that Vyrthur must be dead, and the Betrayed no longer have any control over him".

I felt the need to correct the Mer.

"They weren't exactly the ones at fault here" I said.

That got a reaction.

"What? What're you talking about?" Gelebor demanded to know.

I told him.

"Your brother became a vampire, and wanted revenge on your god for not saving him from that fate" I said "He must have let the Falmar in".

The ashes were all the proof Gelebor needed.

"I see... that... that would explain much" the Snow Elf said

The Paladin then came closer to my group.

"You risked everything to retrieve Auriel's Bow, and you've restored the Chantry. I can't think of a more deserving champion to carry it than you" the Snow Elf said "If you wish to learn more about the bow, or to obtain Sunhallowed Arrows for it, I'd be more than happy to help. You have but to ask".

He handed over the bow, and I accepted it gingerly. It was a beautiful weapon of elven design, crafted of white wood, and strung with silver. There was power in this weapon. I could feel it, and that power was something I could use in my war against vampires.

"Oh pretty" said Forestwind "Can I try it?".

I sighed and let her play with the mystical relic.


	12. Chapter 12

**Jump Chain Gothic 7**** \- Skyrim 1 - Dawnguard**

**Part 12**

**Fort Dawnguard. Skyrim.**

Morgana had been working to plan out what she hoped would be the next Jump. Once she was done with her little project she decided to seek out the Jumper as she would need his approval.

When she found Gothic she saw that he was currently enjoying a mammoth steak that Cameron had no doubt prepared for him. Mammoth as in Woolly Mammoth, and mammoth due to the sheer size of the steak. The Seer had to wonder how man could eat so much, and were they put it.

"Where is Serana?" Morgana asked.

The female vampire had stuck close to Gothic ever since since she'd come to this fortress, perhaps even before then they'd gotten close, the Sorceress didn't know, so it was odd for her not to be around.

"Not sure" the Jumper admitted.

Morgana had wondered if the vampire might become a companion in the near future, but that might prove not to be the case since Gothic did care much for vampires.

"I've been thinking about where to go next" the Sorceress told the Jumper.

Gothic finished chewing before he next spoke.

"So have I" he was now saying "Since we can leave whenever we want to once Harkon is dead there's no need for me to rush about trying to save the world. So I was thinking that we could join the College of Winterhold".

Morgana wasn't surprised to her this as Gothic had mentioned this possibility before.

"An ancient artefact called The Eye of Magnus will soon be found and you have the Staff of Magnus so you can disable the Eye" Gothic told Morgana "It shouldn't take too long".

The Seer was surprised that she'd not had a vision about something that powerful, but she knew that seeing into the future was never a reliable thing.

"We can spend some time learning some more magic" the Jumper said "and we can acquire some materials while we're at the college".

Morgana figured that attending the college might work in her favour.

"Gothic, I want to chose a Jump" she informed her lover.

Other companions had selected Jumps before now so Morgana felt that she had the right to pick one.

"The plan was to go to the Marvel Cinematic Universe next" Gothic reminded "I want those warehouse addons. Coming to Skyrim was just a stop along the way".

Morgana knew this.

"I know my dear" she said "And I know we need to be careful with what Jumps we go one as we have a limited number, but we've spent so little time together since we left my world, and this Jump isn't without merit".

The Seer passed the Jumper a notebook that she'd been filling out.

"Oh no, not the Harry Potter verse" Gothic moaned "I don't want to be turned into a child".

Morgana smiled, she did think that a child version of her husband would be cute.

"At least with a new younger body you won't need to remove your cybernetic implants, and if going through puberty becomes too much you can spent time in your adult form" the Seer said "We should be careful to keep our lives as Hogwarts students and adults separate, but we can disappear for hours at a time during the weekends and during the holidays, so we'll be able to get a lot done in our adult forms".

Morgana had more to say on this subject.

"I was thinking that this Jump was one you and I can do alone, or maybe with Serana if she wants to come along and gain a human body" the Seer said "We might be able to recruit some witches for your harem, but there's no need to worry about that right now".

While Cameron protested this Jump for several reasons, Gothic read through the notebook. He was going to consider the options at least.

"You've given us both a total backstory" the Jumper said.

Indeed she had. Morgana had carefully gone through the documents before putting pen to paper. Entering this Jump as anything other than a Drop In required a family and of course a family history, since the Wizard families of Great Britain were somewhat like the noble houses that Morgana had learned much about while growing she felt well suited to creating a new family.

"Everything in the backstory was carefully chosen and the rules of that Jump allow you to chose the family you join as long it doesn't alter the canon of that world" Morgana said "I decided to introduce a whole new family, an isolated family called the Pendragons, that we are both apart of but not too closely related".

Morgana had decided that should this Jump happened that she and Gothic would be distant cousins, close enough to use the same family name, but not so close that they'd be committing incest when they had sex in their new bodies sometime in the distant future.

They would still be lovers as they didn't need to wait for their new bodies to finish growing. Sexual tension wouldn't be much of an issue as they would have access to an adult body when they entered that world.

"Given the discounts for perks and skills in made sense for one of us to be a half-blood and one to be pure-blood" Morgana was now saying "I even did a set up for you. Feel free to change it. I just thought that it would give you some ideas"

Harry Potter Jump

Gothic

Budget 1000cp

Half-Blood - 900cp

Wealthy - 800cp

"Why not save some CP and take Middle Class?" Gothic wondered "We can replicate all the gold we could ever want.

Morgana had her reasons.

"We don't know if the goblins do anything to the money or if it is just gold" she explained "If their money is enchanted in anyway we won't be able to replicate it, and if we bring in a lot of gold to the bank to turn into money that could draw unwanted attention. I want this Jump to be our chance to relax somewhat and focus on mastering our magical powers. A wealthy background means we won't need to worry about not having money for supplies and reading materials".

Gothic accepted this reasoning.

Gryffindor

"It's the house with the all action" Morgana stated "If we're in that house we can find a way to join in with Harry Potter's adventures or just sit back and watch".

Again Gothic accepted this. He knew that he could change the choice and any other if he so wished so there was no sense debating the issue now.

Memory Spell Specialist - 700cp

"We won't always have access to the technology you normally use to mess with memories" Morgana said "And we might need to quickly wipe someone's memories if they see us doing something Jump related".

Occlumency - 700cp

That didn't really need any explaining. Gothic could defend his mind from telepathic probes thanks to his Grey Jedi training, but magic had a habit of working in unexpected ways and with telepathic teachers taking this perk was just common sense.

Clean Blooded - 600cp

"I know that you can heal yourself and that you have a strong immune system, but that world has magical diseases" Morgana said "Including one that can make you a werewolf".

Non-Verbal - 500cp

Again this really didn't need much explaining, it would be a big advantage.

Qudditch Star - 400cp

"You still get nervous with heights sometimes" was what Morgana was now saying "This should deal with that once and forf all, and it will impress the girls. I don't intend to keep you to myself, so you should try to recruit a few witches. This could help you get their attention".

Deluminator - 375cp

"Not of great use really" admitted Morgana "but it cost next to nothing".

Flask of Polyjuice - 350cp

Pet Owl - 350cp

"It's hard to make, and maybe we can have some fun with me looking like another witch" Morgana said "The Owl is free, so why not?".

Nimbus Two Thousand - 350cp

"You'll need one for when you're on the team" said Morgana "And again it is free".

Dragon-Hide Jacket - 350cp

"I'll want to borrow that" informed the Seer.

Goblin Made Sword 200cp

"If we can get some Basilisk venom then you'll have a horcrux destroying weapon" Morgana mentioned.

House Elf - 100cp

"Can teleport around freely, are very loyal and without Cameron around you'll need someone to cook for you" Morgana said "I never learned to cook".

Companion - 0cp

"According to the rules I get identity, family and house for free, with only 400cp to spend on Skills and Abilities. I can't buy any gear, and I assume that means I don't even get free gear" Morgana explained to Gothic "But since we'll be wealthy I can just buy stuff. We've got more shelves now and we can buy containers that are much larger on the inside so we should be able to take a lot of stuff with us".

Morgana Pendragon.

Budget 400cp

Pure-Blood - 400cp

Wealthy - 400cp

Dedicated - 300cp

Occlumency - 200cp

Clean Blooded - 200cp

Legilimency -100cp

Parselmouth - 0cp

"You want to be able to talk to snakes?" asked Gothic.

Morgana had her reasons, and she was sure that the Jumper would have quickly figured them out if she hadn't already decided to give him the answer to his question.

"You have goblin made sword in your setup for a reason" she told her lover "I'll open the way to the Chamber of Secrets, and we can kill the Basilisk together, then you can gather the creature's venom and add some to the sword ensuring that we have a Horcrux destroying weapon".

While Caliburn or Clarent, which were both swords capable of killing anything short of a minor god, should be able to destroy Horcruxes, this wasn't a hundred percent certain so it was best to have a backup plan.

"Plus a Goblin made sword will look good in my Asgardian Armoury" Gothic said "Which I will get around to having"

The Jumper then closed the notebook, and went back to eating his dinner.

"I'll think it over" he promised "And I'll need to run it by the group before I finally decide".

Choosing this Jump would require keeping everyone else in stasis, which they shouldn't mind as for them no time would pass. But still it would be rude not to at least consult the other companions.

(Line Break)

**Campsite. Skyrim.**

We arrived at camp early in the morning after having spent several days hunting down a few people who Isran had thought could aid us in the coming battle. They had all agreed, and transporting them around had been easy since I'd been able to use the Mako.

The armoured transport had raised many questions, but people seemed to buy the explanation of: magic driven metal carriage. I was sure that if we'd hadn't been about to lay siege to a castle full of vampires that more questions would have been asked.

Of course the sun had to make itself difficult for Serana by deciding not to hide behind any clouds, which led to her wanting to hide in the Mako, but I liked it being sunny as it meant I got a good view of the camp as people prepared for a short war.

Not even sighting a dragon in the far distance was preventing these men and women from preparing to fight. It was something impressive to see. The fields were absolutely bustling with activity.

A group of tough looking Nord axe-wielders were fiercely swinging and twirling their weapons about in unison, as they prepared themselves for for the coming battle. Locals drawn here by the promise of a good fight I assumed.

Not to far from them stood a squad of crossbowmen in Dawnguard army. Their leader, an orc, had his hand raised and when his his limb dropped, a barrage of bolts embedded themselves into the line of targets.

Then the leader called out a command, and a new set of bolts were loaded into the crossbows. These specialised bolts exploded on contact, sending shards of wood out in random directions. The Dawnguard cheered and clapped upon seeing this.

Further towards the castle that would soon be attacking, I found a man called Gunmar and several of his armoured trolls. The lone frost troll of the batch stood out, being the tallest and most muscular of the group. But like the others, it pounded the ground, and walked around impatiently. They were clearly eager to fight.

As Morgana, Cameron, Forestwind, Serana and I got closer to the trolls, Gunmar turned to greet us with a wide grin.

"Greetings, friends" he said "I'd hightail it to Isran if I were you. He's planning the attack as we speak"

The man eyes then wandered to the ornate bow on my back, causing eyes to widen in awe.

"You've got Auriel's Bow just like Isran promised" the man then said "Those vampires won't know what hit them".

I let the man have a quick look at the bow. Forestwind was carrying it in place of her normal bow as it was effective against vampires. I didn't think it was wise to actually take into the castle full of vampires so Forestwind would remain outside. It would also be foolish to let out of my sight for too long.

"We'll go find Isran" I then said "I want to end this as soon as possible".

Gunmar nodded his head in agreement as I headed for what I assumed was Isran's command tent, with my comrades quietly following me. As we walked I saw that the vampire hunters were moving about the supplies, they carried crates and sacks of different contents. Contents that I imagined ranged from potions to weapons. As for Isran, he was outside his tent, shouting orders at the Dawnguard members.

"Ah, you're here" Isran said upon spotting us.

He directed us inside the tent and led us to a map that was spread out on a small table. Aside from the map, a small assortment of potions, a skull, and a knife rested on the table. The knife was pinned to the map and the table. Upon closer inspection, I saw that it had been driven into an area of the map that contained a small island. I knew that on the island sat Castle Volkihar.

"The two of you know this castle better than anyone else. I need your help in planning out this attack" Isran told us "We will be arriving by boats".

He then placed a finger on the map, pointing out the direction we attackers would travel in.

"The boats will have to land here" he went on to say "Upon landing, they just need to breach the castle's defences."

Isran nodded before turning his attention to Serana, which made both of them uncomfortable.

"Uhm... We want you" he then said "And Gothic to lead the attack. Serana, you will play a crucial role in this. You know the castle's layout, and we will need you to direct the hunters when we land. And you will need to take Gothic and I to wherever your father is."

Serana nodded stiffly, and Isran noticed her discomfort.

"I... know this might be hard for you" he struggled to say "I won't pretend that I understand what you're going through".

The Redguard then paused, and awkwardly shifted from what foot to the other.

"I.. I mean, we that is, the Dawnguard, appreciate what you're doing" he managed to say.

Serana's expression lightened, and she offered a toothy smile, purposely flashing her fangs to make the vampire hunter all the more uncomfortable I didn't doubt.

"Thank you, Isran" she said "I'll do my best."

He nodded in recognition before turning to me again.

"We have have plenty of crossbowmen. And of course Gunmar's trolls. They will ride together on a larger boat. We'll want the trolls to attack them head on".

Risky, but trolls were hard to put down. Only fire was potent against them and this was a weakness that they shared with the vampires so the blood drinkers weren't likely to start throwing too many fireballs around.

"If a boat were to land here" Serana was now saying.

She drew a curvy line on the map with her finger.

"You could get a small force threw the same way Gothic and I sneaked in last time" she then said "and if we attack at midday that part of the castle won't be covered in shadows nor would the beach".

Isran nodded his head.

"Battling at midday would be difficult for you, Serana" the leader of the Dawnguard then said.

Wow, he almost seemed to care.

"It will also be difficult for the Volkihar, and I can handle a little sun" she assured him.

Isran was somewhat impressed.

"Alright, that gives us a few hours to get ready" he said "We can't afford to wait for tomorrow as Harkon must know we are here by now and if we're still here by nightfall he'll send out his vampires in force".

Since the bow was here, and Harkon must know of its importance by now, I wanted it were I could keep an eye on it. Harkon would attack as soon as his forces weren't hampered by the sunlight.

"I'll speak to the men" Isran then said.

The hunters gathered together in short order, and listen to their leader's words.

"Brothers and sisters! My hunters! Today, we move out, and rip the vampires out at their roots, we will lay siege to Castle Volkihar!"

I had to admit, Isran had a thing for theatrics.

"In a few hours I will lead a force. We will take several boats and land at the front of the castle while a smaller team sneaks inside and slays Harkon. Then when the gate comes down will enter the castle, and eradicate every single one of them!"

Isran was replied to by eager battle cries.

"For too long we've allowed these vampires to poison the night and kill our people!" the leader of the Dawnguard yelled "Now we finally have the means to strike back! We now have Auriel's Bow!".

There were more cries and cheers from the hunters, but they were silenced when Isran raised a hand up.

"The time has come to finally put an end to Harkon and his unholy prophecy! We will march on their lair and destroy those wretched abominations so they can no longer corrupt our world! This is our fight, and this is our fate. This is the time of the Dawnguard!"

With that Isran raised his mighty warhammer into the air, and in response, the hunters drew their weapons, and held them high.

"For Skyrim!" Isran yelled.

"For Skyrim!" the hunters called back in unison

I figured that at least a few of them were going to get themselves killed, but in the long run it would be worth it as long as I could kill Harkon. That was all that really mattered. If I failed then this world was doomed and my Jump Chain could come to an end.

(Line Break)

**Castle Volkihar. Skyrim.**

Sometimes fights can be little more than a great big blur, and that was what I was experiencing right now I raced towards great hall. I kept moving slashing and cutting down the vampires, demonic hounds, and skeletons with Caliburn as I ran through the hallways.

I knew that Cameron and Serana were close behind me, keeping the others off my back as I ran about destroying monsters. Morgana was with the Dawnguard members who were assaulting the castle from the outside. Her magic would be of use out there, and she had plenty of potions for healing on her person.

My Bosmer, she would be using the divine bow to destroy any vampires or monsters who tried to defend the castle from the outside. Despite the sun some of them would try, and Forestwind was an amazing shot.

I hardly knew where I was going, as I didn't exactly have a map, but the Force was guiding me, taking me where I needed to go, or maybe on some level I knew, and I was guiding myself. How much control over me the Force had was something I didn't know.

While acting, rather than planning, I leapt off a balcony and to the main dining hall. A vampire cushioned my fall, and my sword pierced his throat as I landed. I then dashed across the hall, weaving past swords and axes, jumping over tables and chairs.

Without further delay, I raced up the stairs, only stopping to behead a heavily armoured and armoured vampire who got in my way.

I came to a halt in front of a pair of large doors. Even through them I could feel the power that was in the next room. Whatever was in there was definitely not good. Harkon was undoubtedly beyond these doors, and he was doing something that made my supernatural senses scream at me.

Those senses went into overload for a second, and I had to do my best to dampen down my Magical Sensitivity Perk as well as my connection to the Force.

"How marvellous. You bring your little group of vampire hunters to my home, and in doing so, you brought back my daughter" some one said.

It took me a moment to realise that it Harkon's snobbish voice that had just spoke. I also figured that he must be able to teleport or phase to some extent as he had left the room he'd been in without opening the doors.

"And you, my daughter's little pet" the vampire lord was now saying "I know that Auriel's Bow will be nearby. The prophecy is as good as complete now, is it not?".

When I looked past Harkon's menacing glare I saw Serana, whose presence in the Force as weak as it was, radiated fear. I wanted to tell her not to worry, but that would be a lie and while I'd never consider a vampire to be my friend I respected her too much to lie.

"I'm going to kill her, she is going to be the catalyst that brings about a golden age for vampires" the lord of this castle told me "A perfect world. A world without a sun to hamper our progress in earning our rightful place as the dominant species".

The evil glint in Harkon's eyes showed me how mad it really was. He had to be crazy to think that blotting out the sun was a good idea.

"And you, Serana" Harkon said as he turned to face his daughter "You've taken everything I've provided for you and thrown it all away".

Serana's sudden ferocity startled her father and me. Gone was any fear or doubt she might have had about challenging Harkon. All that remained was her anger.

"Provided for me?!" she shouted "You've destroyed our family. You've killed so many people. You want to kill me. All over some prophecy that we barely understand".

Serana shook with rage, and her eyes burned with an inner fire that would have scared the wits out of even me had she directed them my way

Harkon scoffed at his daughter before turning to look in the eyes once again. He stared at me with a look of slight amusement.

"It appears that I have you to thank for turning my daughter against me. I knew it was only a matter of time before she'd return with hatred in her heart" the vampire lord said "But I wonder what would have happened if you had been able to slay me?".

Oh I was still going to kill him. He wasn't as in control here as he thought. That power behind the door, a shrine to Molog Bal, was messing with my supernatural abilities, but I was still more than a match for Harkon even if his dark god was channelling power to him. I'd have to do the darkside to do, but hopefully I had enough control now for it not to corrupt me.

"Would Valerica your next target?" he wondered "or Serana?"

Rather than reply I lifted Caliburn.

"I'll let you watch the life drain from Serana's eyes" the vampire lord promised "A fitting punishment for the both of you for daring to oppose me".

The vampire lord snapped his fingers, and gargoyles began to come out from the shadows. They instantly went for Serana, but left me alone. It was clear that Harkon wanted to deal with me personally. The deadly looking katana he was carrying suggested to me that he was going to deal with me the old fashioned way.

"Just you and me, hunter" Harkon said with distaste

I remained silent and kept my blade up in defence. He lunged and struck twice at me with great speed, using his katana, while also draining me with his vampire powers. I struggled to fight the symptoms of the drain life spell and to also parry the attacks.

Cameron was suddenly in the way. Doing what she was made do, and Harkon's drain life spell was totally useless against her as while as she had an organic outer shell she wasn't a living thing, at least not like a human was. She had life force to drain.

However as strong as Cameron was, she lacked any magical power and Harkon's physical strength was somehow even greater than hers so my Terminator was thrown aside after trading a few blows. She hit a pillar and slumped to the ground.

Knowing I had to go on the offensive or I would die, I leapt forward intending to drive my sword into his chest. Harkon sidestepped the attack, and moved to skewer me. I swung my sword and deflected his blade, before spinning on my heels in order to face him.

I then slashed diagonally with my blade, and Harkon blocked easily. But that was what I wanted, as it allowed me to drive an elbow into his face. I lacked the raw physical power Cameron had, but I was no weakling, Harkon stumbled back, and I followed that up by kicking him in the abdomen.

We then spent at least a few minutes simply parrying each other's attacks, inflicting nothing more than scratches and future bruises on each other.

When I got the chance I saw that Serana was still preoccupied with the gargoyles and skeletons that her father seemed to have in endless supply. They weren't trying to kill her, only contain her, and that was the only reason why she hadn't been totally overwhelmed.

Thankfully for me my foe was not a true warrior, his moves were flashy, but he had more experience with me using the sword, having been around for centuries, so in desperation I disarmed us both without really even meaning to.

Next I was using the Force sending him stumbling a few steps back when he should have gone flying. Rather than back off, or try to recover his sword, Harkon rushed forward and swung his leg to the side in a crude kick that showed he didn't have any true martial art skills even if he was fast and strong.

His reflexes were superior to mine, but whatever darkness was coming from the altar didn't prevent me from calling upon the darkside, so I was able to counter his moves with ease. I even blasted him with a little Force Lightning, but I held back, knowing that to delve to far down the dark path would doom me.

"Enough games!" the vampire lord yelled "I will fight like how my kind was meant to fight!"

Harkon transformed, his skin was now green, and every inch of him was covered in thick muscles. His head resembled that of a bat, and he had wings to boot. I'd seen this before, but it was still unsettling.

He was about to charge me when another transformed vampire struck him from behind. It was Serana, she both looked and sounded super pissed. The two vamps exchanged blows, scratching each other and turning each other red as they spilled a lot blood. They rolled about on the ground, scratching, kicking and biting as they trashed what was left of the main hall.

While I wanted to watch or even get involved I let them battle it out as I knew that the real way to win this battle was to destroy the shrine. Which was pretty easy to do when you had a hand grenade.

Destroying the shrine had the effect I desired. Harkon was able to force his daughter off him, but now he wasn't looking so good and I was suddenly feeling a lot better. Even Cameron was now up and about.

I threw my sword at Harkon with such force and use of the Force that he was pinned to his own front door, which was currently being battered at by the trolls. Everyone, vampire or not, watched as Harkon burned up and exploded, dying far more dramatically than most of his kind.

The explosion weakened the door enough that the trolls were able to bring it down, and from the that point on victory was already ours.

(Line Break)

**Castle Volkihar. Skyrim.**

Not long after Harkon became a pile of dust Isran joined us in the main hall, he looked around, and then lowered his weapon.

"It's over" the leader of the Dawnguard said ""He's dead, and the prophecy dies with him. I..."

He then hesitated, while looking at Serana, who had returned to human form by now.

"I suppose this is difficult for you" he went on to say.

Serana nodded her head.

"I think my father really died a long time ago," she sad sadly "This was just... the end of something else. I did what needed to be done, nothing more".

Perhaps she really believed that, I couldn't tell. I wasn't calling upon the Force right as this place was still strong in the darkside, and it even if I could control my own darkness it was best not to take risks.

"I think you did more than that," Isran said begrudgingly. "You have my thanks".

Serana gave the vampire hunter a small smile, and this time she didn't show her fangs.

"Keep that up, and I'll start thinking you like me or something," Serana teased.

He ignored that and addressed me.

"So Harkon is destroyed," he said gruffly "And Auriel's Bow is in safe hands. The Dawnguard will now be dedicated to safeguarding it, making sure that prophecy will never come to pass".

Isran then sighed.

"You know even with these vampires gone, the fight isn't completely over. Once we're settled back into the fort, there will be more work to do" he said "But I'm not as young as I once was. The Dawnguard could do with a real leader. You've been doing all the work. I think you should lead the Dawnguard".

Clearly he meant me, and it made sense as the reward for defeating Harkon and stopping him form putting out the sun was a castle with some people in it.

"I might be around for a while" I told Isran "We'll see how things go. I can always appointment someone to take over for me later when I move on".

Now the end of the world had been prevented I could end this Jump when ever I wished. However my Judgement Day Perk was letting me know that the dragon's wouldn't destroy this realm for sometime, so I could afford to stick around for a while.

I could always pass on leadership to someone else when I did leave as now the Dawnguard wasn't at war anymore, the vampires would threaten this realm for many years.

However now there was a new threat. In a matter of weeks the world would be destroyed in a massive magical explosion. My Judgement Day didn't give me all the details, but I knew enough to figure out that the explosion would be caused by the Eye of Magnus.

Given that this new apocalypse I figured that the College of Winterhold had started digging at Saarthal, so it would be logical to go join the College.

Also it would give Morgana a chance to see what getting a magical education was like. She might go off the idea of attending Hogwarts if I took her to the College, and if not I'd have some more time to think about the next Jump.

Plus there were still some magical items for me to collect. I did want Red Eagle's Bane and maybe I should get more of those Dragon Priest Masks.

For now I was going to get a good meal, have sex with someone, and then get some sleep. I'd so earned all of that. Then I would talk with Morgana and finally decide what to do next.

**Author Note**

This is the last chapter for this story, however I can write what happens at the College of Winterhold, or move on to a Harry Potter story before going to Marvel. I want to see what you reviewers think before deciding.

Send me your opinions and ideas. Do you want Serana as a new companion? Should she go to Hogwarts as a human child, as an effort to start over?

Or do you want more adventures in Skyrim before anything else?

There's plenty of stuff worth grabbing and magic to be studied that Jumper Gothic couldn't do before as he had a time limit to worry about.

Or should I come back to it later?


End file.
